Jewel of His Heart
by Selenay Of Antioch
Summary: The Earth was crying, and no one could hear it but them. The Youkai. So they prayed, and searched. Eventually, God sent them their answer, in the form of a girl child who would bring them salvation, and soothe the tortured heart of the saddened Dog.
1. The Honor that Ties Us

**Disclaimer: Okay, who am I kidding; There's no way I own Inuyasha. However much I could wish I did, I don't. My Eyes.**

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"_Virtue does not come from wealth, but... wealth, and every other good thing which men have... comes from virtue."_ –Socrates

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Chapter One: Adoption

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It was the end of the final battle with Naraku. Trees were uprooted and lay where they were thrown. Their roots pointing toward the sky like twisted fingers. The still form of Naraku was vast and lifeless, his body taking on the gray hue of death as his terrible miasma dissipated. Finally, the massive spider was dead. Kagome's aura was slowly causing the body of the spider to fade away and disappear, along with all the stones of miasma that had dropped to the ground.

Other prone forms littered the battle ground, also lifeless. The bodies of Sango and Miroku, their hands stretched towards each other but not quite touching looked as if from a storybook like a tragedy.

One shape moved and cried out in pain, her fingers curled in the mud as she struggled to sit up. Finally, she kneeled in the mud, taking in the carnage around her. Spotting something red buried under a tentacle, she gave a strangled yell in anguish, and lurched to her feet. She reached Inuyasha's side and grasped his hand in one of her own while pushing the tentacle off of him.

Inuyasha coughed and his eyes fluttered open to meet hers.

"Ka-Kagome… I'm glad you're alright. Did we beat him?" He gasped.

She could not keep the tears from her eyes as she nodded her head.

"Yes Inuyasha; he's dead."

"Right on…where's the Shikon no Ta-Tama?" His breath came in panting gasps, as his lungs filled with blood that his regenerative abilities couldn't seem to patch up fast enough.

"I've got most of it right here… but I shattered the rest so he couldn't use its power. That's what let us beat him." She held up the Jewel in her fist.

"I see… Kagome, get yourself home. Be safe. I'm afraid I can't protect you any longer." His voice was starting to fade, and Kagome looked at him filled with alarm.

"Bu-But Inuyasha! You've always protected me, you can pull through, you can make it again. Don't give up, Inuyasha!" She was frantic now, but he weakly patted her leg, then trailed it up to her waist.

"Not this time, I'm afraid. This one is too deep for even me to pull through. I can't protect you anymore, but my robe can. It will keep you warm and safe…" with that, his hand fell away, and his eyes twinkled one last time. "I didn't miss."

Then, he closed his eyes forever. She laid her head down on his shoulder and wept. It did not take long for her to realize what he had been talking about.

Sesshoumaru appeared close to her soon after, and had starred around at the carnage in horror at the outcome. Inuyasha's death had affected the stoic lord greatly and unexpectedly, even for him, and when Kagome had opened her eyes she saw his shoes in her periphery. She stood up and lunged at him. He let her cry against him, striking his chest with her fists, but after a time he caught her hands in his, and she fell against him; sobbing quietly.

"Why didn't you come earlier Sesshoumaru? He… he's dead, now, can't you save him?" She cried to him plaintively.

He gazed down at the woman crying against him, and met her wet green eyes. The sorrow in his soul was so plain to see, Kagome stopped crying altogether.

"I am sorry, Miko. I cannot, I had already saved him once. The sword won't let me bring him back again." His deep voice calmed her, and helped her think more clearly. She sniffed and took a deep breath.

"You're right. I'm sorry, Sesshoumaru. I wasn't thinking."

His hand came up and caught the collar of her shirt, and peered at the mark on the juncture of her neck and shoulder with interest.

"So he did mark you." He grunted, and his lips curled with slight distaste, "this makes you my sister."

He released her collar, she was blushing furiously, then his eyes widened slightly. The sudden flood of blood to her face helped him catch her scent all too easily.

"You are carrying his child, too."

She looked down, "I know." She placed a hand over her womb protectively, "I would like to keep him."

"How can you be sure it will be a boy?"

"Your father. He sired both you and Inuyasha. If you two share anything from him, it is likely it would be a boy."

He seemed to think about what she said, and nodded slowly.

"Such reasoning seems permissible. You are my sister, you are to accept my request that you come to live with me at my castle, in Lysia. You will be safe there, and you can raise your pup there in peace."

She bowed deeply, though alarm bells rang in her mind. Why would he do this? Why not leave her be? Admittedly though, she was curious, thus she posed her next question. "I am honored, Sesshoumaru-sama; but I know you have not been fond of humans or half-breeds. Why would you do such a thing?"

He turned his back and began walking away, when he saw she was not following, he stopped and turned his head slightly. Truly, he hadn't been intending to answer her. He didn't care if she knew nothing. It was not his concern.

But she wasn't following. Inwardly, he gritted his teeth.

"Honor." With that, he continued, Bakusaiga and Tensaiga slapping against his legs as he walked. Kagome began to run after him, but stopped after a moment.

"Wait, Sesshoumaru-sama! We need to bury everyone! Please, let me do this!"

Without turning, he spoke. "What does it matter; the dead are dead, and have no concern for the living any longer. Why should we, the living, care for the dead?"

She stared at him, aghast. She could hardly believe what she was hearing. "Because…because if we leave them unburied, they won't be able to pass on. Because, if we leave their bodies in the open, they could harbor disease and sickness. It is unhealthy."

He turned his head toward her and paused, "You speak of unhealthy things? What would a human know of health. Humans are all the same, filthy creatures who are afraid to wash the grime from their bodies because of a dim-witted superstition."

"Don't throw me in with the rest of the humans of this time. I do know of health, and don't take me lightly, ever!"

He stopped and turned toward her fully, a narrowing of his eyes displaying his displeasure. "Insolent girl."

Kagome paused abruptly, blinking as she took in his stance. She remembered her studying in biology, how Alphas stood, and she thought suddenly that if a humanoid were to adopt the Alpha stance, that would be it now. To look into his eyes would be a blatant threat, remembering that, she quickly lowered her own.

Inuyasha wasn't there to protect her anymore, so she had to be careful. Sesshoumaru was displaying the classic signs of an Alpha feeling threat to his stature. She shivered, feeling the cold intensely. She blinked again, it wasn't that cold…It was late spring.

She lowered her head slowly, baring her neck slightly. Peeking up under her lashes, she saw Sesshoumaru relax slightly. "Gomen nasai, Sesshoumaru. But please, let me bury my nakama."

He watched her consideringly, then nodded his head. Relieved, Kagome turned back to the remains of her friends and began the arduous task of laying their bodies out in a row. She placed their weapons under their heads. When she reached the body of Inuyasha, she took the blade and offered it to Sesshoumaru. With a pained expression, he reluctantly accepted it and tucked it into his sash. The blade only crackled lightly, as if grumbling grudgingly it's acceptance of its new master.

With Sesshoumaru's help, Kagome acquired a shovel and set about digging the first grave, but when she collapsed from her wounds, he picked her up and laid her prone form in the shade of an uprooted tree trunk.

As he was finishing Inuyasha's grave, he turned towards the last body left. He carefully, almost tenderly, stripped Inuyasha of his fire-rat robe, until Inuyasha lay only in his under-hakama and haori. The white fabric was soft to the touch, and it seemed fitting that his brother be laid to rest in the white of purity and justice. So little justice had been met out for the boy's sake.

Maybe Inuyasha could rest in peace knowing that Sesshoumaru would look out for her. A small twisted half-smile graced his lips, oh his brother would rather roll in his grave.

Over Inuyasha's finished grave, Sesshoumaru stood silently. Contemplating recent events, and his future, as well as the future of the girl. Nay, he corrected himself; the woman. The girl had long ago been replaced by the jaded, and battle-hardened woman he knew today. He added soon-to-be mother to her list of titles.

All at the hands at the one she loved. He wondered if Inuyasha had really loved Kagome as much as she had adored him. But then again, he didn't care.

He could hear her stirring restlessly, as she struggled with exhaustion and blood loss. She needed help soon.

At the head of each grave, he thrust in a cherry tree sapling and willed it to take root with his own spiritual pressure. When the roots responded and entrenched themselves into the soil and the bodies, he turned away and walked over to the miko.

She was breathing shallowly, but quickly, and her brow was furrowed and fevered. Not good. He bent and hoisted her into his arms and took to the skies swiftly. Once in the air, he summoned his cloud nimbus and he shot off to the west, lowering Kagome down onto the cloud's firm surface carefully.

She muttered amid her fever dreams, exhaustion making her slightly delirious. He refused to translate or even decipher her half-formed whispers.

Three hours later, they landed in the courtyard, Sesshoumaru took the young woman into his arms and carried her inside. She was such a tall being, for a human, four heads taller than Rin herself. Four lower-class dog-Youkai came forward, hopeful looks on their faces as they sought to learn his will.

"You three, come with me. I'll need a room prepared for her as a place to stay. Make it the room across from mine, connecting to the nursery."

"Sire! Your will be done, Sire!" the Youkai said, saluting sharply. Sesshoumaru turned to the last dog Youkai, and the Youkai stiffened to attention, his eyes intent. "I need you to summon Tobiume to my room."

"Yes, Sire!" He saluted and shot off down the south wing. Sesshoumaru turned down the north wing of the castle. The three followed him down the various connecting passageways down to his room, they left him at his door as they turned in through the opposite door to prepare the room.

Sesshoumaru laid her down on his futon and began examining Kagome's wounds with a critical eye. A few serious gashes marked her left arm; starting at her elbow and traveling upward to her shoulder, her left side; dangerously close to her abdomen. There was a third deep cut traveling down her leg. All three had mild discoloration which meant poisoning. This required his expertise, since he was a Venomer Inu-Taiyoukai. The saliva of a Venomer such as he had amazing properties in healing and would act as an antidote for almost any poison or venom.

He began on her left side, wanting to remove all danger from her pup as soon as possible, the last of his father's bloodline, besides himself. He dug his tongue in and lapped at the cut, the blood was sweet but the bitter undertone expressed the poison, it was not pleasing. When he finished with that the gash closed up, leaving fresh pink flesh. Next, he cleaned the gash on her leg, moving on only when the wound sealed off, leaving his saliva inside.

Lastly, he cleaned her left arm, by now, his mouth was salivating thickly, and he only had to slather the thick healing substance over her cut before it healed up completely.

The deathly pallor that shadowed her face lifted, and her breathing came easier. There was a knock on the door and some few seconds later it opened without any sound on the other side. A tall elderly woman entered, wearing the forest green of a healer. Her hair was long and white, brittle-looking in her old age, and her face was a mass of wrinkles. Her deep-set amber brown eyes peered out sharply from her face, and her mouth seemed set in a constant small smile, which was at odds with the rest of her stern visage.

"I am here, now, my young prince. Let me see her." Few people in the world could ever have gotten away with using that tone with him, and she was one of them. The other two were dead.

She walked forward, leaving her long staff against the wall and hefting her pouch of herbs. Sesshoumaru nodded his head at her in deference to her and made room by crouching on Kagome's other side.

The old woman clucked methodically as she examined Kagome's injuries, when finished with her examination, she began stripping Kagome of her clothing. Sesshoumaru huffed at the indecency of it all and left the room, telling her he would "be returning later."

The old woman continued working, Kagome's body open to her eyes as she probed, bandaged, and healed all of Kagome's wounds. When she discovered the child growing in Kagome's womb, she almost believed it to be Sesshoumaru's whelp, but the mating mark was wrong; it was the second son of Inutaishou that was the father.

She hummed thoughtfully then, a soft smile on her lips. That boy had been such a dear.

'So this was the girl who stole his heart? She ain't bad to look at, I'll give her that.'

When she finished with bathing the wounds and dressing them properly, she wrapped the girl in a white sleeping tunic and placed her under the covers.

She waited there in the room until the girl finally opened her eyes some two days later. The first reactions of the newly awakened patients were always the most interesting. Especially those who had believed themselves to die. This girl was no exception; her consciousness was noted in the twitching of her fingers, and as she became more aware of her surroundings, she sat bolt upright and placed her hands over her stomach.

The old healer smirked. 'So the girl knew…' The girl looked around the room wildly, and spotted the elderly woman sitting in the chair near the bed, she opened her mouth to speak but the only sound coming out was a dry rasp.

She was floating, feeling warmth spread throughout her body. She ached, her whole body ached, but it was a delicious good ache, like the soreness in the muscles after a good workout, she wasn't in any great pain any longer. She felt content to just lie there and rest.

Rest.

Inuyasha and the others! Were they put to rest? Did I die, too? Oh no; if I'm dead, then my baby is dead, too! That cannot be! Oh my child! I still need to complete the jewel! Her thoughts went racing through her mind, sending her exhausted body into overdrive.

Forcing her eyes open, she sat up and the world tilted around her. She looked around dazedly, uncomprehending her surroundings. She raised one hand to her head and spread her fingers across her forehead with her thumb bracing against her temple. Her other hand curled around her still-flat belly to protect her child.

Her eyes landed on an elderly woman sitting in a chair by her bed, and while she did, she remembered Sesshoumaru helping her bury her friends, telling her to stay with him… then she remembered feeling faint and falling. And later, something warm and wet dabbing at her side, her leg and her arm…it was too soft to be a cloth.

As soon as that realization went through, her brain supplied her with another hazy image through mostly shut and sleepy eyes of long straight silver hair curtaining over a face she thought she should know. A firm hand that braced her, with magenta markings on the wrists. _'He's…healing me…'_ she remembered thinking.

She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out save a dry rasp.

"I…"

"Don't speak just yet, girl. Drink this, it's a restorative."

The old woman offered her a glass of a pale-green liquid, and Kagome could smell some of the familiar herbs, but there were others she couldn't name, all for healing and rehydration, and acceleration of recovery.

She tilted the glass, and swallowed every last drop with barely a grimace, even now she could begin to feel the effects as her body welcomed the strong restorative. The woman remained sitting, watching her quietly. Kagome began to collect herself, her face returning to full color and finally she met the woman's eyes once again.

"Thank you…my name is Kagome Higurashi, um, where am I?"

Tobiume paused. Higurashi. The word had two definitions; the first definition, and was well-known, meant sunset. The second definition, and far less known, meant cicada. Both definitions were important, she could feel it. The first one was obvious, as the girl's name meant 'sunset' and that meant that she belonged in the Western Lands. The second one was more obscure, a cicada was a large winged insect. It spent sixteen to eighteen years in a wing-less, ugly brown pupae before finally reaching maturity and shedding the pupae to transform into a large and somewhat beautiful creature.

She wondered whether the girls name was a coincidence or not. With the Kami in their lives so often, as she was their ancestress, Tobiume thought not.

The woman's eyes twinkled, _'This girl's very name means sunset! What a strange coincidence that she was brought to the Western Lands!'_ Then she paused at that thought. There was something about this girl that tugged at her. Something she should be able to recollect. She would need to look it up in the old tomes of the History of the Western Lands.

"Welcome, Kagome, to my grandson's castle."

"Who is your grandson?" Kagome tilted her head to the side, fingering the empty cup. "You mean Sesshoumaru-sama."

The woman nodded and stood up, revealing her full height of seven feet, along with the magenta marks on her wrists and the crescent moon on her forehead, the stripes on her cheeks however were a deep bloody red in color.

Kagome gaped in awe, this woman stood so regal there, in her long plain green-cotton kimono, her entire being spoke of a quiet power and dignity. _'now I know where Sesshoumaru gets his attitude from, but this woman seems nicer… less cold.'_

"Wow, it is an honor to meet you, milady, thank you for healing me." Kagome said with a bow of her head, but the woman waved it away.

"Worry not, little dove, my name is Tobiume Kageyoshi, but you may call me Tobiume. As for why I healed you, Sesshoumaru sent for me, and seeing you're the mate to my grandson, I knew I had to heal you. Besides, you carry my great-grandson in your womb. That was reason enough for even Sesshoumaru to help heal you."

"Sesshoumaru-sama healed me, too?" Kagome squeaked, suddenly worried.

"He did, but don't fret. He did nothing untoward your person, he kept you mostly clothed the entire time, only healing what was necessary until I arrived to finish the job." She replied.

Kagome felt relieved to know her son was alright, and her hand came down again to rest over her womb, smiling softly. Then she thought more on what Tobiume had just said, _'wait, what if he had seen me?'_ she thought frantically, but her thoughts were interrupted with soft laughter.

"What is that look for, little lass? It's not as if he saw you naked."

Kagome blinked, processing what she had just said. "Oh, he didn't?"

"No, he left before I even got done untying your shirt-collar. By the way, I had those garments burned. No granddaughter of mine shall wear such questionable rags."

Anxiety was clearly present in her face, because Tobiume looked at her pointedly, "No, I don't want to hear it, you will have a proper wardrobe to choose from, and that's final."

Kagome had clearly lost this argument before it even began, and so she hung her head in silence. _'it's for the best, I suppose.'_ Kagome laid back in her bed, and fell back asleep.

"Tobiume, such a thing is impossibly dangerous, she smells human enough; but if she even has the slightest drop of demon-blood running in her veins, she and the pup could perish. "

"And I tell you, her blood is pristine. There shall be nothing to worry about, if anything, her blood is so purely human, she might even be descended from the pristine humans!"

"You mean, she might be one of those? One of the Gedrishakrim here in that room, Tobiume, that is impossible. They are a reclusive sect, and extremely rare. Their blood is Omega, as the Royal Inu-Youkai is Alpha…to perform the ritual on one of the Gedrishakrim." There was a long pause then. "I see. Very well."

Kagome woke up some two days later to two sets of amber eyes looking into her own, one set was older-looking, and of a darker brown than the liquid gold of the other set.

"Um… hello Sesshoumaru-sama, Tobiume-sama…"

"Hello, Kagome. It is time for the ceremony, if you are willing of course."

"Ceremony, what ceremony?" Kagome asked, now purely confused.

"The Ceremony of Adoption, little dove. Time to make you part of the family." Tobiume said with a smile, "We can't have you pass away and die in two blinks of our eyes."

Sesshoumaru nodded from his place on Kagome's other side of the bed.

"Alright, I accept. What do I do?"

Sesshoumaru turned away, and Tobiume smiled.

"Right this way."

Kagome was given a dark blue cotton kimono to wear and was led out into a large garden in the middle of the castle. The sleeves were too long, and the hem kept trailing on the ground, despite Kagome's efforts to preserve it.

Once they reached the center of the meadow, the two exceptionally tall demons turned and faced the diminutive human. Kagome swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. She had not realized just how tall they were until now.

Tobiume beckoned Kagome come close and laid her hands on Kagome's shoulders, "Now, are you sure you want this? This will affect your child as well."

As Kagome suddenly wrapped her arms around her with a yelp and fearful look, Tobiume chuckled, "Not adversely, my dear, it won't hurt him."

"Okay…" Kagome would just have to trust them.

"Now, repeat after me…" Tobiume said, all traces of her smiling face gone. Sesshoumaru also seemed very intense about something. Power swirled around the aged Youkai-healer as she summoned her energy.

At the appropriate time in the high-chant, Tobiume grasped Kagome's hand and Sesshoumaru's hand and placed them together; palms facing each other with a smooth double-bladed knife between them. Kagome curled her fingers around Sesshoumaru's larger digits and his claws carefully did the same. Waves of power rose and fell around the three of them in splashes of gold and forest green, with a lightly blue tinge as Kagome's energy also flickered to life. The waves of power swirled around them like a strange wind, turning and twisting and weaving every fiber of it into something else, into a perfect blend.

Quickly, at the climax of the spell, the blade was turned and sliced into their palms and yanked down. They stood together as their blood seeped and mixed together, running down their arms when the strands of the magic slammed into Kagome and Sesshoumaru. Quickly, the attributes that made Sesshoumaru a fully blooded Inu-Youkai were drawn out from the blood that had been spilled and copied, then the magic released him from its hold and turned onto Kagome, who was the target.

The magic grasped her, and held her. Her back stiffened as fire seemed to flare up and lick at her skin. Then, she felt the power entering her through the cut in her palm, running up her hand, her wrist, then up her arm. She wanted to scream, if she could only remember how. All she was aware of was the burning. The world was dark to her eyes. The power reached her heart, then, as if it were similar to blood, it surged forward everywhere, it went racing through her brain, and she thought her skull might split. It rushed down to her abdomen, and to her legs and she wanted to fall. But her legs were locked, and she couldn't move them.

All she could feel was the fire.

The magic coursed along the body, changing and transforming everything it touched. When it reached the target's reproductive organs, it paused, seeing the life in there. It tried to hold back, too much and it could kill the life. It found two cords. It traveled down both to the life within the target's body. It started to work it's change, and was successful on one, so it focused more of its attention to the other. The life revolted, it twisted away and refused to be changed. It would not be changed. The power behind the changing force was fading fast, losing momentum. Power was fading, so it had to retreat.

This had never happened before. The life within refused to be changed. It did not accept. The power and magic behind the changing force left, and receded from the body of the targeted receptacle for the Youkai's blood. It had done all it could. It could not do more.

All she could see was darkness.

And then there was light. Kagome drew a sharp breath as a strange pain lanced across her body, soft aftershocks as the rest of the magic faded. The end of it all came swiftly, and when the light faded, Kagome found herself staring across at Sesshoumaru, their eyes meeting evenly. Kagome blinked, _'how…?'_ All the pain was a distant memory.

She lifted one pale and slender hand to see it tipped with delicate and shapely claws, she snorted in surprise and the sound surprised her. A strand of hair slipped over her shoulder at the sudden jerk of her head and she looked at it, astonished. It was steel-gray instead of inky black, and the length had changed, it had grown to her lower back. The blue kimono now fit her perfectly, the hems on her sleeves now resting midway down her thumbs.

"Wow…" Kagome breathed, her voice sounded strange to her ears, deeper and lilting. Kagome's hands lurched up to her mouth, her eyes wide in surprise. Tobiume was smiling as she gazed on Kagome, "Ah, you look dazzling, my dear." She glanced over at Sesshoumaru, "almost makes you wish you marked her, neh Sesshoumaru?" Sesshoumaru grunted and slid his eyes away from Kagome to look at his grandmother dryly.

"She has taken well to the change. But she is my sister by mating and by adoption." Kagome blushed; coming from Sesshoumaru, that was the most sincere compliment in the world. She smiled suddenly, Sesshoumaru was her brother!

"Hasn't stopped other brothers from claiming their sisters before." Tobiume snickered under her breath. But Kagome's eyes lit up as if she hadn't heard Tobiume's comment.

"Sesshoumaru-niichan!"

Sesshoumaru gave her a strange look, a sister might be a refreshing change, but she was such a strange creature. His eyes drifted to her waist, towards the pup that had yet to show its presence in her body. But then, he reflected, since Kagome was now a dog-Youkai, she may never show her pregnancy.

Dog Youkai females were the more warrior-like of the species, they fought and roamed no matter how far along they were to whelping. His grandmother was a rare occurrence that happened only once every few hundred generations; a healer type dog-Youkai female whose greatest skills were in her own longevity and restorative powers, along with a more quiet personality, and not prone to blood-lust. She didn't have the urge to fight because she didn't feel the need to display her power, she didn't have the need to fight because she felt no need to prove her strength.

Kagome turned and examined the garden with new eyes bright with wonder, though her heart still wrenched with the loss of her friends. Suddenly the weight of the world seemed to fall on her and she seemed to collapse in on herself. Her shoulders slumped and her eyes fell to the ground.

She had lost her friends, her fellowship was broken. Out of the five of them, only Kagome was left. She felt like a massive hole had been wrenched open inside of her, making her hollow and shell-like.

She walked almost blindly to the edge of a koi pond, Tobiume and Sesshoumaru watched her walk away in silence. Sesshoumaru moved to walk after her, but Tobiume stopped him with a shake of her head. "Let her find resolve."

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes, and turned towards the door, sitting himself down by the doorway to watch the fair dark-haired Youkai. Tobiume sat on the other side of the door as they watched the newest Royal Dog-Youkai curl up with her back to the others. Her eyes filled with tears they could easily smell from their distance, as she watched the large fat and colorful fish swim lazily through the water, oblivious to her sorrow.

To her loss.

She leaned her head on her knees and drew deep shuddering breaths, trying to control her own sobs. She felt a certain detachment she never possessed as a human, like her emotions were something she could control whether she felt them or not.

Life went on for all things, the world continued on its track and would welcome the bodies back into its bosom no matter what that person did, souls of course were judged accordingly, and sent to the Ninth Gate of the Realm of the Underworld. Such as it does and always did. She sighed, still feeling the grave hole in her being where her friends had been torn away from her.

But now they were gone, and she was left with nothing. She paused, not nothing. She did have something; Inuyasha's son was right there inside of her, growing and alive. She had a piece of _him_. She smiled slightly, and something akin to happiness glowed in her eyes for a moment, yes she was not alone; she had her son, she had Sesshoumaru, and…she had her grandmother, Tobiume. The two great Tai-Youkai seemed sincere and welcoming of her, very receptive, and she would surely need help with this body of hers.

Her friends would not want her to be in such anguish over their passing. They would want her to find new resolve to live, and not let their lives have gone to waste. Well, Kagome had new resolve now alright; she had a son to live for, and half the Shikon to find. She sat up straight and flexed her hand, feeling the strength in her fingers. She could do this for them, she would carry their hopes and dreams onward; their spirits would live through her!

She scrubbed her eyes and face, removing the signs of her crying as best she could. She stood up and turned around, meeting Sesshoumaru's eyes.

"I want to learn to fight. Brother." Her words were but a whisper, but Sesshoumaru heard them easily.

A flicker of a smile appeared on his lips for a moment and disappeared as quickly as it came, his eyes glittered. He stood up and raised his hand towards Kagome in a silent summons. She walked forward, and touched her fingertips to his, their hands fell to their sides as Sesshoumaru turned and walked through the door, Kagome following. They both missed the smirk on Tobiume's lips.

A battle-born lady walked the halls again. When that lady finished training, nothing would stop her. Although the males prided themselves on being master swordsmen, the truth of it was that the female Dog-Youkai, or Jageras as they had come to be known, tended to be even more driven and ferocious when came to fighting. Especially pregnant females; they tended to snap back out of their grief over fallen mates and attack with a clear and cunningly cruel mind.

Kagome followed Sesshoumaru back to the hallway of the room she had woken up in, but instead of the room she had been in, they turned in to the door opposite and slid the doors open. The walls were a pale green, with leaves painted in various shades of green as the border. The futon was also green, but of a much darker color, with the floor being of dark hardwood. The room smelled as if it had been freshly cleaned, with the clean scent of rose oil, and lavender, and sage.

"This shall be your room for as long as you wish to stay here. I have something you may want back." With that, he strode forward to the freshly built armoire and opened the door, inside was Inuyasha's fire-rat robe, clean and perfectly preserved; not a stitch out of place. Sesshoumaru placed his hand on it, feelings of nostalgia welled up inside him; it used to be part of his father's armor until the man had given it to Inuyasha's mother to keep her and the infant safe.

And now, Kagome will wear it; to keep herself and her child safe. He picked it up, and also picked up a soft golden-cream under-haori for Kagome to wear underneath. Turning, he saw Kagome regarding them thoughtfully, before a small smile graced her lips and she accepted them from him.

He left the room, the door sliding shut quietly. Kagome had a pretty good idea how the clothing went on, after having to bandage and care for Inuyasha's wounds enough times…and for other things, like when he claimed her as his mate a mere couple of weeks before the final battle. She swiftly shrugged out of the blue kimono, brushing away such soft memories, then she shrugged off the under-kimono, and pulled on the under-hakama, tying it securely around her flat waist. Then she pulled on the golden under-haori and tucked the hem into her hakama, followed with the red fire-haori itself, completing the assembly.

She stepped out of the room after she hung up the kimonos she had been wearing. Sesshoumaru was waiting for her, and he appraised her with an unreadable expression. He turned down the hallway and Kagome followed him easily, her taller frame lengthening her strides to match his automatically, Kagome was astounded to realize that she now almost matched Sesshoumaru in height. Then she smirked, she guessed that since Sesshoumaru was the one to adopt her, she had 'inherited' his height, so to speak.

"What is so funny, sister?"

She started, and the smirk faded. She was not used to him calling her his sister, "Nothing, Nii-sama, I just never thought that I would ever be able to look you in the eyes without moving my head so far." She said. She slid her eyes to meet to meet his without moving her head for emphasis.

"Hm."

They turned a corner and walked down a long passageway. At the end of the hall, she found they had come to an impressive set of solid oak doors. Sesshoumaru placed one hand on the handle and twisted, pushing with a smooth motion.

* * *

This chapter was updated very recently, on April 4, 2011.

I encourage everyone to reread it. I'll post messages to those who have already read my later chapter posted yesterday. Well, I'll do that for those that reviewed! hahaha! (Because that's the only way I could let them know anyways).


	2. The Friends that Find Us

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Inuyasha or anything I write about, save the plot and whatever critters I add to the story that are not part of the original distribution. They took...**

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"_Even in the lost the natural inclination to virtue remains, else they would have no remorse of conscience". –_Thomas Aquinas

* * *

Chapter Two: Rukaze "Red Wind"

* * *

Kagome withheld her breath in awe, they stood in the doorway of a wide training dojo, large enough that Sesshoumaru would have been able to roam at ease in his full-demon form.

"This…is amazing, I never knew you had a room like this." She said, eyes wide. Her lips twitched after a moment, she realized she really didn't know a whole lot about her new family, and this fortress.

"Of course. We train our own infantry here, all the lower-class dog-demons come here to learn and pay obeisance to me, and my family." He answered.

"Enter and choose a weapon." Sesshoumaru finished curtly.

Sesshoumaru stepped into the room and stopped in the center, Kagome entered the room, her head swinging around as she took in everything around her. As his order sank in, her eyes focused on the wall to her right that was one massive weapons rack; weapons of all shapes and sizes lined the wall and Kagome looked at them subjectively.

She was never a fan of close-quarters combat, but she didn't think she would be able to manage now as she had without Inuyasha there to take on their enemies head on. She didn't fancy a short sword; that would be way too close for comfort, perhaps a pike? She shook her head minutely, stabbing things she wasn't very talented at.

Her eyes stopped when they traveled over a long staff that had a long slim blade on one end and a steel-capped butt on the other. The thin blade was curved gracefully and was an elegant piece of work. Before she was aware of it, she was running her hands over the smooth and hard wood.

With a soft smile, she picked it up off its hooks and grasped the end with one hand, and the middle of the pole with the other, letting the blade point away from her. She stepped back and swung it in a lazy arc, the balance felt perfect and the blade zipped around with a deadly whistle around her. Her hands slid along with a strange familiarity with the weapon and changed the direction of the swing into another series of spins and twirls until she felt like every one of her muscles had acquainted themselves with the weight and feel of the weapon. She grinned back at Sesshoumaru, who nodded his head at her choice.

"The glaive is a difficult weapon to master, but it suits you."

"A glaive, huh?" she whispered as she stepped back towards him, carrying the weapon in one hand with the blade pointed down and out away from herself. Facing each other, both donned a hard edge in their gaze, Sesshoumaru slowly drew his Bakusaiga and set his stance. Kagome studied his form, and mimicked him. With a small nod of his head; he charged.

In the beginning of her watching Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru fight, she had only been able to pick out the vague blurs whenever they paused momentarily to clash swords and change directions, but as her own eyes became more accustomed to their fights, she was finding it easier to pick out details and the individuals in their fights and travels.

Now though, with her demon blood singing in her veins, and roaring its head to fight and kill, she was able to see Sesshoumaru move with perfect clarity; she could see the tension in his shoulders as muscles rolled and moved to attack. She swung her weapon up and caught the sword on the haft just below the blade, locking it in place with a jarring impact that shook her hands and body.

The blade vanished, and Kagome found herself thrown aside as the flat of Bakusaiga thwacked sharply against her left side.

"You leave yourself wide open to retaliation. Again." He barked quietly. Kagome winced inwardly and stood up, squaring her shoulders, she would not show weakness, she would only improve with fighting him. She could not back down.

And so her training began.

She hefted her glaive and came at him again, this time on the defensive. She had to get around him somehow, she had to find a way to slip past his defenses. She had a feeling that it may be years before she stood before him as an equal in skill.

* * *

When she got back to her room that evening, Tobiume was waiting for her. Though she was exhausted, her injuries were not widespread as her Dog-demon blood allowed for faster regeneration. Her body ached, however, and she groaned as she shrugged out of the fire-rat rode and hakama. Bruises showed clearly on her skin as she bent to pick up the sleeping kimono that had been laid out for her. As she dragged it on gingerly, pointedly ignoring Tobiume waiting there; the elderly woman had healed all of Kagome's wounds, so would have seen her body anyways. When finished, Kagome gave the woman a tired smile, and sank onto her bed.

"So, what brings you here?"

"Ah. Just to look you over and make sure he isn't leaving you half-dead." She responded with a smile.

"I see. Won't the training harm my pup, though?"

"No, he is well protected there in your womb, a pregnant Jagera such as yourself has considerably tougher skin around that area of your body than any other being alive."

"I'm sorry, a what?"

"A Jagera. A female Dog-demon royal."

"I have a question then."

"Shoot."

"How long is the gestation for one such as me? I mean, I know a human's gestation is roughly about forty weeks, but how long for me, when my child has only one quarter demon blood and I am now a full demon."

"Quarter human, you mean?"

"No…Inuyasha was a half-demon, I was human when I conceived. He would be quarter-demon."

Tobiume chuckled, "No, little dove, the adoption affected the pup, too, remember? He's going to be quarter human."

"Oh! That's… good." Kagome said with a smile, thinking that with her extended lifespan, she was glad she would be able to share a good portion of it with her son. She ran her hand over her belly absently, a soft smile on her lips.

"Kagome, there are some things you should know."

"Ah. And what is that?"

"You are a Jagera. A female Royal Dog-demon. There are aspects about such that you need to be aware of."

"Ehh... and what is that?" Kagome asked, becoming mystified.

"I can count on one hand the number of Jageras, Kagome. Including myself. Sesshoumaru is an expert swordsman, would you agree?"

"Hai, Tobiume, he seems unparalleled." Kagome answered, furrowing her brows, unsure where this conversation was going.

"His mother trained him."

Kagome's mouth gaped, she couldn't possibly have heard that right.

"You're kidding, right? I thought his father…"

"His father was by me."

"This seems like a tradition; mothers training sons, why won't you train me, instead?"

"Sesshoumaru adopted you, and usually the task falls to the mate to train his wife to fight, if she is not already trained. However, Inuyasha was unaware of such. So the task falls to the brother of your mate to train you since he cannot. After your son is born, you can train him, you'll know when."

"Well, if mothers train sons, who trains daughters?" Kagome asked, thinking to catch Tobiume in a loop.

"The mothers, of course."

"But…why?"

"Did you feel your hearts-blood sing when you readied yourself for battle, in the moment when you realized you were going to fight and you were faced with your opponent? Did you feel the wild elation rise up suddenly?"

Kagome tilted her head in thought and nodded.

"That is because there is no creature on the planet that is more focused, or more calculating, or more potentially dangerous than a female Dog-demon."

Kagome furrowed her brows, and leaned back slightly, not sure if she really understood this information or not.

"During training, you were waking up your inner-beast, when you awaken her fully, you will have two sides to you; your ego, and your alter-ego. Some call this alter-ego your inner-beast, or your shadow-soul, but she is as much a part of you as your hair color, or your eye color. She is waking up to guide you and lend you her strength in matters of battle and strategy. But I encourage you to meld with her completely so that you will never lose control and become a mindless beast of brute strength. You will have a beautiful balance of control and power over yourself."

Kagome gazed solemnly down at her blanket, and nodded her head in acceptance. "The only sovereign you can allow to rule you is reason." She whispered to herself.

"That's right, that is a very astute observation. I shall remember that one."

"I've got all sorts of little sayings my grandfather drilled into my head as I grew up." Kagome said, with a soft, sad smile.

"What would happen if I were to lose control?"

"Then you would have to be stopped."

"Would I become…like Inuyasha?"

"Ehh..no, you have no human side fighting for dominance. You are a Royal Dog-demon, a Jagera. Your wrath would be nigh on unstoppable, and you would just lose your conscience. Not a pleasant or dignified thing to do."

"I see… 'Passion rules reason.' I'll try not to, then."

"Don't worry hun, it's a precautionary warning, I doubt you'll lose control."

Kagome sank further into her bed, feeling very tired with this new knowledge.

"So how long is my gestation?"

Tobiume stared at her steadily, "Roughly two years."

Kagome's eyes went wide, and she sat up, her exhaustion forgotten.

"I'll be carrying him for two years?"

"Well yes, is that a problem?"

"But what am I going to do when my belly grows from him being inside me for so long?"

"It won't, haven't you been paying attention? Jageras are the great warriors of the sword; you will pick up such skills as necessary very quickly, by the time your son is born, you would be able to drop the pup and within a day be able to pick up your sword to do battle if needed. Hopefully not, though."

"I don't think that would be on my list of things to do…"

"I can certainly hope not; you will need to feed and love on him first, then you can kick ass."

Kagome sighed, and ran her hand down her abdomen, wonder lit up her eyes at the knowledge she would carry him to full term without even showing any signs of her pregnancy, to even imagine such a thing!

"Why?"

"Because our breed are warriors; women fight, sometimes better than the men. Because we are hunters; we roam and fight when we have to, and also… we are the keepers of the dead. The dog demons like my son and Sesshoumaru's mother have been the guardians for quite some time. Make no mistake as to why the Lord Taisho carried three such powerful swords as Tetssaiga, Tensaiga, and Sa'Uunga."

Kagome didn't know what to say, "Woah…" her eyes were wide and grave as she contemplated the responsibilities of her being and implied future. She had much to learn, it appeared.

* * *

Weeks passed, and spring fell away to summer, with Kagome undergoing the rigorous training every morning, and detailed lessons about the purpose and history of the Royale Dog-demon Family as she was recovering in bed.

The main being was that they were direct descendents of the great white wolf Amaterasu, and their breed became more dog-like while still retaining the characteristic glossy white fur with the symbol of the moon instead of the sun, showing them to be the children of the sun-goddess of life. Also, their heritage was the main basis for their magic; the healing saliva, the venomers, and their fiery transformation into their great dog forms belied it all. And they were all quite talented at creativity and art.

Now Sesshoumaru sent Kagome on tasks throughout the Western-lands to disrupt demon attacks in villages beholden to the Western lord, another of her tasks was destroying the fallen souls before they began attacking others, and forcing the unblemished souls to pass on to the underworld, via Tensaiga whenever Sesshoumaru allowed her to borrow it, Bakusaiga however was never allowed to leave his side.

What Sesshoumaru was not telling her were his reasons for sending her on such errands across the countryside. He was always receiving guests and dignitaries, and he was not ready for the world to know about his sister yet. She needed time to get better at combat, and her history lessons. But truly she needed to be better at her combat lessons. She needed to be perfect, and as such, he could not allow her training to fall into another's hands. Besides, it was upon his honor that she learn everything he could teach her.

Tensaiga was a reluctant sword, but in Kagome's hands the blade brightened up considerably. It liked being held by Kagome, she was a more compassionate demon than his master Sesshoumaru, and was often used without having to pulse at her get her attention.

If Sesshoumaru noticed, he took no sign of it.

* * *

As the weeks rolled into months, the first snows fell with the onset of late fall, and early winter. Kagome was patrolling in the company of Ah-Un, her long ashen-hair tied in a long slim braid, her glaive leaning over her shoulder. She had been able to recover close to a third of the Shikon Jewel shards from the demons who sought out her much larger collection, she dispatched them without any trouble, and was amazed she felt no pull coming from the Jewel itself.

She did not desire the Jewel, nor did the Jewel seek to seduce her with its power, like it had with so many others. She smiled, she was just like Sesshoumaru in that respect. Over the past few months, her appetite had changed; preferring her meats to come from less ordinary means. It had come as a surprise when mid-meal, she had snatched off Sesshoumaru's plate several pieces of the dark raw meat and popped them into her mouth with a sigh of satisfaction. Sesshoumaru merely lifted one delicately arched brow at her skeptically, then finished his meal in silence.

The next meal, her plate was filled with the same meat as Sesshoumaru.

"What is this, anyways, Sesshoumaru? I've never tasted meat like this before…but it's so mouth watering." It was delicious.

"It is from demons that attack the castle."

Kagome looked down at the cuts of meat thoughtfully, wondering why she hadn't seen the resemblance earlier.

"Oh."

* * *

"Hey Sesshoumaru-sama, I've become rather proficient with my glaive, have I not?" It was true, she was able to hold her own now with Sesshoumaru for longer and longer periods of time, even being able to get in key strikes and attacks through his defenses now.

"You have." He intoned, distractedly reading the reports in front of him.

"Can I request leave to seek out the rest of the Jewel shards?" He looked at her now, it would be good to get her out of the castle for awhile; she was driving half the servants mad with her random explorations of the castle, and general hyper-activity. Not to mention her rather disturbing talent at crawling across the ceiling to scare the guards. She had been chomping at the bit endlessly excited about the snow and cold weather. It didn't take him long to reach a decision.

"Granted."

Kagome yipped happily and wolfed down her food as fast as possible, then she ran back to her room to prepare her things.

* * *

Once in her room, she donned her fire-rat robe, no longer labeling it as Inuyasha's robe, she fingered the material fondly. It was a demon-fabric, and when she put it on, it lengthened around her to fit her perfectly. After looking in a mirror, she smiled. Appeased with her appearance, as her green-gold eyes peered out at her from a pale white face, she was as fair skinned as Sesshoumaru, with her steel-gray hair drawn away from her face in her long French-style braid.

She hefted her glaive, and tied her katana to her waist. She wasn't quite as good with her katana as she was with her glaive; but in a bind, she could still fight well enough with it.

As she slid her door open and stepped out into the hallway, she felt an odd fluttering in her stomach; more precisely, her lower abdomen. She gasped and placed a hand on her womb, a smile spreading across her face.

"He's kicking!" she whispered, her eyes alight with joy. Sesshoumaru was in front of her within a heartbeat, his expression intense. He raised a hand and placed it over her womb, pressing in firmly. His action caused her son to kick out some more, upset at the intrusion. Sesshoumaru kneeled down in front of her, and Kagome just stood there, stunned at his actions. He brought both hands up, and placed them against her abdomen, he sent a light pulse of his energy against her, and both of them were surprised when he received a reply of like energy, though it was like a feather brushing against him.

Kagome could only describe it as green. Green and black. It was strange, because its signature was like nothing she had ever felt before. It wasn't like Inuyasha, or Sesshoumaru, and her own signature was blue and black, versus Sesshoumaru's own dark-green and liquid-silver.

Sesshoumaru placed his forehead against her abdomen, his fingers clutching to her haori. Kagome watched him with thinly veiled surprise; she and Sesshoumaru had become close, and she always held him with a certain amount of affection, but to have him reciprocate those feelings was gratifying. To see him to drawn and humbled to his nephew was another shock, yet a pleasant one.

'_He must have come to say goodbye…_' she thought distantly, realizing that her quest could take up to several months to a year. _'It will be such a long while before I see him again.'_

It was then that Kagome realized that Sesshoumaru had become an integral part of her being. She fought back tears, and Sesshoumaru looked up at her in surprise just as Kagome threw her arms around his neck, mumbling into his shoulder as she cried. His arms came around her and held her to him.

"Nii-sama… Sesshoumaru nii-sama, I'm going to miss you so much!" she whimpered softly.

"So hurry home, Kagome-sama." He replied calmly, tenderly. He held her as she fought to control herself, and regain her composure.

As they sat together, Kagome's legs folded off away from Sesshoumaru's legs, her son's kicking was felt even more intensely. Sesshoumaru said nothing, just letting Kagome cry herself out on his lap and feeling her son move within her.

Something panged at him, and he found himself wish yet again that she were not his brother's mate, even though Inuyasha was dead. Besides, she loved Inuyasha. Though the man was dead, and had been for quite some time, to stake his claim on her would be foolish and wrong. Though siblings in the past had mated, to keep the bloodline pure. _'But she isn't really my sibling, she is my adoptive sister.'_ He thought distractedly. _'Let her go for now, when she comes back, then I will ask her about it…'_

When Kagome regained her composure, she hesitantly got off Sesshoumaru, she had felt surprise that he hadn't forced her to get off him yet. He seemed content to rub his scent all over her, and effectively mark her as his. She was his, though. She was his sister, by adoption. She could be nothing more, he had stated as such at the very beginning. She turned back into her room and slipped on her soft traveling boots, she felt embarrassed for leaning on him like that...She tried to shrug it off. It was still early morning, and she planned to make good time.

* * *

Sesshoumaru stood by the gate when she made it out of the castle, her glaive in his hand. As she reached for it, he drew her into a one-armed hug instead, the glaive's head pointing out away from the both of them as his strong band of an arm was placed protectively high on her back. He was mixing their scents together again. Since she probably would not be seeing him for some time, it was as much for her protection as it was for his feeling of satisfaction at such a powerful young Inu-Youkai Jagera having his scent on her as she traveled.

Finally, he released her and let her take the glaive from him. She smiled at him uncertainly, and reached her fingertips out to him. Sesshoumaru reflexively lifted his hand and touched her fingertips with his own, just like the day of her adoption. Her eyes shimmered, and Sesshoumaru's breath caught in his throat. She was so beautiful, with the morning sun glowing behind her, and her golden-green eyes gazing at him with her strange steel-gray hair. The steel-gray hair, coupled with the gold-flecked green eyes and her gracefully tall build made her look very much the part of the Inu-Youkai Jagera she was. Though she had far to go before she could truly match Sesshoumaru himself in a fight, she was more than a match for most other demons.

Kagome finally turned away from him and began her trek that would carry her in unknown directions, but for now, she went east. Sesshoumaru watched her receding back until it finally disappeared in the haze of snow and wind. Now it was time to attend to other matters. The stoic lord turned away and left back into the castle. After all his years of seeking out and battling with the forces of Naraku, it was more than time for him to get back to his lordship duties.

Kagome eyed the falling snow brightly; as a demon, she did not feel the cold very sharply at all, and on top of that, the fire-rat robe kept her quite comfortable. Sesshoumaru had probably known the fire-rat robe would keep her warm, that was why he had not questioned her lack of baggage. She grinned, overtaken with the urge to run and play in the swirling snow.

'_If Sesshoumaru were to hear what I'm thinking now, he would scoff and tell me it was unseemly for the sister of the lord of the Western Lands.'_

She yipped with delight and surged forwards, racing the wind and snow falling to the ground, her eyes positively glowing. Her son kicked inside her, and Kagome faltered for a moment before grinning and running faster.

'_He wants to play, too!'_ She thought, mirth rolling down her body. She ran like that for quite some time before she began to feel hungry. She stopped on a massive tree-branch, one hand on the trunk while she lifted her nose to track down some prey, remembering Sesshoumaru's words at breakfast several days ago.

"_Any lower-class demon would do… just have to sniff one out."_ She ignored the plaintive thumps in her belly from her son as she strained all her senses towards finding prey.

After what felt like several agonizing minutes, a twig snapped some distance away, coupled with the pulse of a weak youki signature. Kagome reacted faster than her heart beat and was on the demon in a flash, her glaive sliced through snowflakes, air, and finally; flesh and bone.

The creature grunted, but made no other noise as it fell over dead. Kagome eyed the demon, it looked like a common bovine demon, it's horns of the usual keratin. She ripped free a flank and eyed it with interest, blood ran over her fingers and down her arm and her eyes took on a hungry glow. She set out and began tearing into the meat with one hand, laying the slices of meat on a strip of skin, and when she finished that flank, she began to finally eat. Her son calmed down some time later as the nourishment reached him and Kagome smiled to herself.

When she was full, she tore off one last flank and tied it to her side, completely drained of blood. She set a brisk pace for herself, following the faint glimmer of a Shikon shard on the horizon. It looked to be heading towards the coast. She quickened her pace, her first shard of this journey!

* * *

She made it by late afternoon, and she gazed out across the tumbling waves in quiet appreciation of the snow sweeping about on the water as waves crashed onto the shore. Her blissful view of the shore was cut short as an inhuman scream tore through the beach, Kagome turned to look down the beach at the demon that had burst into the clearing.

It was a massive snake demon, it had frills rising from its' forehead and down its back, with something of a hairy jaw. Kagome swiftly changed her mind; not a snake, a dragon.

"This should be interesting…" she mumbled to herself.

Kagome hefted her glaive took a wide stance, the glaive was as tall as she was, and she was very comfortable with the weight and balance of the weapon. She watched as the dragon charged towards her and waited until the dragon was almost upon her before moving forward, and with a vicious grin, she sliced her glaive in front of her in an intricate dance of the blade; she cut, pushed back, and cut again. No matter where she struck, a wound was inflicted.

No matter how furious or enraged the creature became, he could not get an attack in edgewise. All the while, the Shikon fragment glowed eerily to Kagome's eyes from its place between the dragon's eyes.

Kagome suddenly recalled how Inuyasha would always aim for the Jewel shard, so she jumped up to do the same.

Spinning her glaive over her head, she gave a half-silent growl, and smashed the blade down on the creature's forehead. With its weakness shattered, the creature fell to the ground, dead. Kagome stepped through the messy puddles of blood and gore until she came upon the shard itself. Kagome looked upon it in dismay, seeing the shard glow an unnatural red.

Tainted.

Now came the moment of truth; would her energy still purify the shards she found like this?

Her fingers trailed towards it cautiously, and brushed along its surface, it glimmered it's unnatural pink light. She grasped it in one fist and brought it to her eyes, the jewel had become pure! She smiled in relief and placed the shard inside of the pouch hanging around her neck where her own portion of the Jewel now hung.

A second shrill cry shattered she the sudden calm, and Kagome looked up; her eyes alert. The sound originated from behind a rocky outcropping so Kagome followed it, hopping quickly from one rock to another until she came upon a scene of devastation.

A ship had been wrecked here, strips of torn sail cloth also draped themselves on the rocks, the remains of the ship looked Western in nature, Western European to be exact. In fact, it looked similar to the ancient Viking Longboats. The crew probably was eaten by the demon she had killed. What caught her attention and held it however was the large blood-bay horse that was currently trotting around on the rocky beach; the cliff-like outcropping kept the horse walled in and unable to escape.

He appeared to have been there at least a week, his sides were thin and he looked drawn, but Kagome only thought one thing.

'_How beautiful…'_

She stood up from her crouched position, not wanting to spook him unnecessarily. When the horse spotted her, it stopped stock still and lifted its' head in the air, sniffing cautiously. Kagome suddenly cursed, and dropped the flank of meat from her side, the horse snorted and stepped back, scenting the flank. Kagome raised her glaive, making sure the horse could see it, then she slowly set it down on the sand near where she stood. The horse stomped its foot, but made no move to back away farther, its ears pricked forward, and Kagome could tell it was desperate for attention and food.

With her resolve set, she lifted her hands away from herself as if to welcome the creature before her. The horse seemed to sigh in relief, and walked towards her, hanging its head. When he came within a foot of her, Kagome reached her hands forward and let the horse sniff one hand while the other reached for his neck to pet him reassuringly, soothingly.

She was amazed it had been so easy to get him to trust her to be near. After several minutes of grooming him with her fingers, he was putty in her hands. Kagome turned away from him to find a length of rope to hold him with. Then there was the matter of getting him out of here. She would cross that bridge when she got to it. She wandered across the beach for awhile, the snow was coming down more fiercely and Kagome wanted to get the horse out of the elements, having passed a large cave earlier that day. It wasn't too far. The horse followed her around, it was amazing what a little kindness could do for something so starved of attention.

Kagome finally found a length of rope that looked soft enough and small enough to do the job of holding the creature.

With a glimmer of triumph shining in her eyes, she deftly untangled it, her demonic speed making her movements a blur. With the length of rope in hand, she turned on the horse and began fashioning a halter out of the long slim cord. When finished, she dropped her hands to admire her handiwork. The halter fit snugly in the proper places and loosely in other places, but it would do until she were able to barter for a proper halter for the boy. And the horse was a boy, if her examination was to be believed, he was a stallion.

She smiled up at the horse and again was amazed at its' height. At the shoulder, the horse was even with her chin; plenty big enough for her to ride him. She found herself wondering over his parentage; such a large horse was not found anywhere near Japan, especially not Feudal Japan. She led the horse to the center of the beach before grasping the horse's neck with one arm and summoning the nimbus. It was her comforting black and blue, and she held tightly to the horse as he startled in surprise when the cloud lifted him and the strange woman into the air.

* * *

Kagome set them down in the clearing near the cave entrance several minutes later, and led the horse down to the frozen stream, after breaking the ice, she let him drink. The horse drank greedily from the cold water, and Kagome had to pull him away before he made himself sick. They stepped into the cave together, the horse trailed behind at the end of the lead rope.

Kagome led him back into another chamber of the cave, small light entered through a crack in the stone at the ceiling, and small drifts of snow came down occasionally. After sniffing about and checking that the coast was clear, she left the cave to collect wood for a fire, and grabbing the flank she had dropped off back at the coast. The horse stayed where he was, just resting in the cave, one leg lifted slightly as he dozed.

While she was picking up her flank, she noticed a cask had floated and wedged itself between some rocks. She lifted the round cask in one hand and sniffed it curiously, then added it to her armful of belongings for the night.

As she sat in front of the fire that night, the horse standing near it as well, she fiddled with the cask. It didn't slosh inside so it wasn't a liquid, but there was something definitely inside. She rapped it sharply on the top and the wood cracked, she quickly tore out the wood over to reveal grain, oats of the sort that her new charge ate. Of all the luck in the world, and the one cask she picked up contained just what she needed!

She smiled at the excited rumble coming from the stallion, and his eyes glowed at the sight of the food. She found a rock that had a shallow dip in its natural formation, and poured a good reasonable amount into the bowl. She would need to stop at the nearest village for some extra items in horse care; there was no way she would hand him over to anyone.

As she tore into her own meat, and watched the placid stallion devour his own meal, Kagome mused to herself for a name for him. She couldn't just keep calling him 'Horse,' or he would get the wrong idea.

After several minutes of watching the fire light play over his blood-red coat, Kagome sat up straight on her log. He looked like fire, with the strange dappling in his of dark and light reds. He needed a name that had to do with fire!

But try as she might, only one word really described him.

"Rukaze." She whispered.

The horse made no reaction, just contented himself with eating.

Outside in the cold, the wind blew more fiercely as if in defiance of Kagome's choice in names.

* * *

Strange stuff will happen with this horse, just you wait!


	3. The Bravery that Binds Us

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Inuyasha. They took my eyes! Beware, they will find us. **

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"_It is better to create than to learn! Creating is the essence of life."_ –Julius Cesar

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Chapter Three: What Befell Kilala and Shippo?

* * *

The next morning found Kagome on the road with Rukaze following her in high spirits. She had created a nose-bag out of sail cloth and proceeded to dump in more oats inside and gave it to the stallion to eat as they traveled. They made it to the village by midmorning, the villagers looked at her askance as she led the large horse through the market district to the local Ferrier. When she stepped inside the barn, she sniffed deeply the smell of saddle oil, horse sweat, leather, and hay. With a soft smile gracing her lips she turned towards the man standing nearby cautiously.

"I have a recent acquisition that needs to be outfitted for travel. Do you have what I need?" She said gently.

The man nervously wrung his hands on an oil cloth handing from his sash. "Well, milady, I do have some saddles here, and other things you may need…"

"Kagome Taisho of the Western Lands." She supplied. The man blanched, and he appeared even more frantic. She needed to calm him down if this continued. She frown at him.

"Calm yourself, man, I am not here to harm you. I would just like your business. Rukaze needs care, and I would appreciate your assistance."

He bowed low, "Yes, Kagome-sama, of course."

Now that his life did not seem to be in any danger, he relaxed considerably.

"Right this way, you can put your horse in this stall for the time being." He led Kagome down into the barn and pointed out an empty stall. Kagome loaded Rukaze in to the stall and turned to follow the man to the storeroom.

"That's quite a horse, milady, I think he must stand close to twenty-two hands! Never have I seen a horse that big, is he part-demon, perhaps?"

"No…I do not smell any demonic presence on him except my own. He is a breed from across the seas, I acquired him from there."

It wasn't far from the truth. She let him draw his own interpretations to that statement. Finally, they reached the storeroom, and the door was slid open to reveal three saddles set on stands.

"Here I have three saddles for sale, they are my latest work. You may look them over to see if you like one, then we'll see about fitting it to your horse."

Kagome moved forward with purpose, reviewing the style of stirrups, and the height of the cantle, and also looking at the accompanying saddlebag. She was traveling, so she needed something lightweight, with room for items she would need for her horse. She smiled; her horse. When she was small, she had always wanted a pony for her own, and now she had one.

And he was magnificent.

Her mother had understood how badly Kagome had been obsessed with horses, so had signed her up for classes at the local horseback riding academy. Kagome had never been happier, growing up.

She could tell the man admired the horse, and was envious of her. She found what she was looking for in the second saddle, it was a dark-brown leather, with a large saddlebag to go with it, and the leather was tooled; symbols burned into the leather for good fortune, and safe wanderings. She smiled, the leather would look good against Rukaze's coat.

"Here, this is the one I need, sir. How much?"

"Oh, a good choice, milady, fifty-thousand yen that one is."

'_Fifty-thousand? Not bad… I would have thought it would be much higher…'_

"I see," Kagome pulled out her pouch carrying the allowance for her trip, she quickly drew out the appropriate amount and placed it on the counter in the shop while the man carried the saddle out with the saddle bag and saddle pads. Kagome watched him place the saddle pads on one at a time until the saddle was balanced evenly on the horses' back. While he was doing that, Kagome was dumping the cask of oats into a large sailcloth bag and stuffing it into the saddle bag, the other saddlebag carried a body brush and a hoof pick.

She watch him saddle Rukaze carefully, making sure she would be able to repeat the necessary actions.

"Can I know your name, Ferrier?"

"Yes milady, my name is Isshin. My family has run this practice for some time starting with my great-grandfather, for whom I was named."

"I wonder if I could stay here for some time, and allow Rukaze to recover his strength and health. In return I could protect this village from demon attacks, and create wards to help with keeping them at bay."

The man seemed taken aback with her offer, but nodded his head anyways.

"Very good milady, the snow will be getting worse soon anyways. I can prepare a room quickly enough, if you would excuse me."

With that, he left the stall for a side door leading into his house, "Hannah, we will be having a guest for a time, she is a paying customer, prepare the guest bedroom, Lily…" his voice trailed away as he disappeared further into the house.

Kagome smiled and un-tacked the horse, pausing to brush out his thick red coat. When he was comfortably settled, she stood there with him, just trailing her hands over his neck and back, feeling the adapted contours on his back and girth showing that he had been ridden in the past. That was good, that meant she wouldn't have to break him. Several minutes later, the man returned slightly winded, but looking pleased, though faintly.

"Is it alright that he stays here? I want to fatten him up, I know it will be difficult during the winter, but I would like some aid in that. In return, in some year afterwards, I may have him service a mare if he's still among the living."

"But that would be too much! You need not do that, milady, we would be pleased to have you with us. To be honest, no mare in these parts would ever be able to carry his foal. He is too big a horse."

"But have you tried such a thing? Where I come from, such things aren't impossible."

"No, do not worry. your company and protection will be enough. We'll see what the future brings." He said firmly, Kagome frowned.

"Sir, I do believe you insult my very kind intentions. Very well, then. No services will be rendered." The proposal was merely a front anyways. She wanted to be able to track his line for the next couple of centuries. It would be hard to do that if she left his foal with a bunch of humans.

"Will he be safe here? I worry for him."

"Yes, I'll just close up my shop, and we can go inside for lunch. In the afternoon we'll see what we can do for his hooves."

Lunch was an interesting affair, Kagome found herself unable to stomach the taste of human food now, and so she sat politely off to the side, staring out the window that was sealed shut tightly to ward off cold draughts.

After this lunch business, she was going to escape off at the first moment she got to devour some hapless demon. Who knows, she might just incite a demon to try to attack the village so she would have an excuse to kill it.

Finally, she could take it no more.

"Excuse me, I sense a demon…" She stood up and left the room leaving the humans to stare after her. "She is nothing like Sesshoumaru. I admit, I was worried." One said,

"Nah, just give her time, I doubt she even knows who or what we are."

"Of course she doesn't! Now don't ruin this, Hisana."

"I'm glad it's her, though, if it were –him—then the little guy would not have survived."

* * *

Kagome breathed the freezing air deeply, as she raced through the trees, pausing to spread out her senses like before, like Sesshoumaru taught her.

Awareness spiked towards the Northwest, and she darted over in that direction, taking to the tree-tops to avoid detection. Her son gave an eager set of kicks that she ignored this time as she focused entirely upon her own hunger and the life of the demon she tracked. She caught the faint coloring of panther fur before she snuffed out the demon's life, and commenced to ripping through the creature and devouring every part her tongue found palatable. She hadn't realized she was so hungry, though in retrospect of the intense feeling of content and enjoyment coming from her child was clearly not her own.

She was surprised at the strength of him, light as it was. She was still only one-fourth of the way through her gestation. Frowning, she looked down at the mess of the body at her feet, and turned away after a short moment. There was nothing left but skin and bones, and she felt contently full. She just hoped with these strange hunger-urges she wouldn't turn on any humans, or worse; Rukaze.

She washed her face and hands in the snow, and turned back for the village. The chilly air was truly delightful. When she got back to Isshin's barn, the sun was leaning towards the early afternoon.

Isshin was standing outside the barn, near a set of stocks. Rukaze was with him. He had his tools out and was examining the massive horse's hooves. Rukaze was standing calmly, staring off into the distance. At the sight of Kagome, Rukaze nickered welcomingly as if to say, "My dear lady! Come to me and let us commingle!"

Kagome allowed a small smile to grace her lips as she obliged the stallion, coming forward to place her hand on the big stallion's neck. He reached around and nuzzled his shoulder.

"How is he?"

The man jumped slightly, but didn't move otherwise from where he was bent over the stallion's leg.

"Well, they haven't been worked in some weeks, and he's got sea-hoof. He's also never been shod. But I can take care of that."

"Sea-hoof?"

"Yeah, I call it sea-hoof. When a horse has been traveling by sea for a long while, and doesn't have access to fresh grass and fresh water all the time, then the hoof starts to become really soft, and begins to deteriorate. He needs fresh grass and grains to build it up again."

"I see, so it will get better, right?"

"Oh yes, he just needs time."

"Excellent. I am going to have him fitted for a bridle and halter while I'm here."

"Very good, I've got a variety hanging on the wall in there, take your pick. I'll just let it come with the saddle."

She looked at him in slight surprise, "Really now…thank you."

Kagome left Isshin to his work and entered the store room he indicated. _'I wonder what kind of bits were used in Western Europe back then… or now… this will get confusing.'_

She drew out a bridle, then picked out one of the bits he had on the wall, it seemed the least painful on the mouth. She quickly rigged the bridle with the new bit and stepped back out, her steel-gray hair swishing softly as she moved.

Kagome put the bridle on Rukaze ad adjusted the straps until it fit comfortably, then removed it. Afterwards, she got him a halter and put it on him instead of the corded rope she had been using. With that finished, she stood near to Isshin to watch him work. It was mesmerizing to watch the Ferrier's knife flash and glint in the sunlight, watching as dead and old hoof material fell away revealing dark and clean hoof-matter underneath.

Isshin finished up just as the sun was falling behind the trees, Rukaze's hooves were looking much better.

"That's all I can do for today; too dark for much else, and I'd rather not quip him and make a fool's mistake when I can just do it in the morning."

Kagome nodded her head and helped out by taking Rukaze back to his stall. Isshin put up his tools, and met with her back inside.

"My daughter, Misako, will lead you to your room. Then you will be more than welcome to use the bath-house, if it pleases you." He said, already answering her unspoken question. Hygiene was always a main concern of hers, after all.

Kagome nodded her head and smiled at the young girl who stood timidly by the door, watching with wide eyes. Without a word, Kagome was led down a long corridor and into a modest guest room, the futon looked comfortable, for which Kagome was grateful. She settled her glaive next to the bed, out of the way, but carried her katana with her into the bathhouse.

A deep bathtub made of wood was already waiting for her, the water steaming faintly. Within seconds, she had stripped and sank into the tub, it was very wide and Kagome had the feeling it was originally built as a horse trough. Soaps were placed just outside of the tub, and Kagome used them sparingly, not wanting to be a bad house guest and impose on them any more than she had. It felt wonderful to bathe, however, and she took full advantage of the water.

When she finished, she changed back into her white under-kimono and opened the door to the hallway. Misako was standing there, a shy smile on her face as she held out a variety of combs, and brushes, and hairties.

"I was wondering, if it isn't any trouble, if I could play with your hair and help you put it in a braid. I'm very good!" She whispered, her chin with her bangs falling into her face, her eyes shown up brightly at her. Kagome stared down at the girl, wondering what made the girl to bold. She had been so meek earlier, it mystified her. Kagome blinked, "If you want to so badly, sure."

She belted on her katana and stepped around the girl back to her room, she turned her head to glance over her shoulder, "Come."

They entered the room together and settled together on the futon, Kagome sat with her back to the girl, and the child set to work humming under her breath and brushing out Kagome's long dark ashen hair. Kagome smiled inside; she loved it when people touched and petted her hair, and found it hard to keep her eyes open during the delightful brush strokes.

The girls hands moved with a smooth deftness that was efficient and painless, and Kagome could not smother a groan of relief as tension evaporated from her scalp, neck , and shoulders.

Time went by too quickly for Kagome's taste, and Misako finished tying off the braid with a dark green ribbon. "Thank you Misako, it was greatly appreciated. You are very talented with those hands of yours. The horses must love you."

The girl blushed at the praise, and murmured a soft, "Thank you…"

Dinner that night was tolerable; it consisted of roast venison and a tasty fruit drink, which Kagome found delightful. The fruit was ground to a pulp and poured in to a pitcher of snowmelt. Afterwards, Kagome retreated to her room to sleep, suddenly feeling tired by the events of the day and needing time to recharge.

'_Probably my sweet son pulling more of my energy for his growth.'_

She lay under the covers, her hands played over her abdomen as she tried to measure the length and current position of her son. His gentle fluttering had grown stronger since yesterday, that had to be a good sign. And towards evening, or in moments when Kagome was feeling a particularly fierce emotion, he would react to her flaring energy and make his presence known.

* * *

The next morning found Kagome tracking a band of rather crafty spider-demons; she detested the things, they were sneaky, treacherous, and spiteful creatures. This particular band had been preying on the headsmen's herd of cattle and goats and had begun to target the villagers themselves. Kagome tightened her grip on her glaive as the tracks led down to a fissure in the earth, bits of torn flesh and fabric and spider webs further pointed out that this was the dwelling of the spiders.

Something caught her attention, and she zeroed in on it to reveal a rather large tarantula. She gave a small half-smile and scooped up the creature to examine its underside, it was a brown spider with a light rosy pink on its thorax and Kagome estimated it to be about six inches in diameter. It was a boy, so Kagome smiled and set it under a nearby snow-covered bush.

She shook her head, she had nothing against tarantulas, but other spiders in general were a complete nuisance. She leveled her glaive into the darkness of the cave and entered the murky gloom , spreading out her senses ahead and towards her sides to try and locate any hidden traps. The creatures hadn't bothered with traps, however, and Kagome found the creatures huddled together in the cold cave, there in the center was a large female, and her body was swollen with eggs; eggs that would soon hatch into thousands of deadly and hungry spider-demons, all seeking to be fed. The others noticed her presence almost immediately, and drew away from her with an angry hiss.

Kagome spared no words for the creatures, they wouldn't understand her anyways. No greeting for these instinct-driven beasts, such creatures had no honor or right to live. But they did. These were demons that would never gain sentience. They were naught but elevated animals. Mindless beasts.

Faster than any of them could have followed, for Kagome was of a higher manner of demon, Kagome stood before their queen, her glaive swinging around and bursting through the spider demons thorax, demon-blood became thick in the air as the queen shrieked in agony. Quick as thought, Kagome wrenched her glaive free to spin it to the left, blocking the attack by one of the males. Kagome fell into the easy crouch, as months of practice with Sesshoumaru came into play. These creatures were nothing. Naught but breath on the wind. The spider demons rose on their hind legs as they made their threatening intent clear.

Kagome reversed the glaives' direction and slashed up and to the right, cutting off limbs that came within easy striking distance with their performance. Blood-curdling shrieks rent the air around her as the spider-demons thrashed on the floor in their mindless agony. The queen lay there, her abdomen separated from the rest of her body, she gazed up at Kagome; the terror and hatred plain to see. In that moment, Kagome saw the mother fearing for the life of her young, the mother knowing her children and husbands were dying around her. Kagome hated this moment, hated herself at this moment. But it had to be done. She had to make sure none rose up later to claim vengeance on her or the village. She lifted her bloodied glaive, point down, and drove it through the queen's skull.

Her eyes and body relaxed in death and her body dissolved in the manner of spider demons.

Now Kagome noticed another problem; the lower abdomen of the queen had been left behind, creating a cocoon for the eggs. She cursed under her breath as she realized what it was. Closing her eyes, Kagome envisioned her power, demonic and holy, and channeled it down into her glaive, when she opened her eyes, her glaive was glowing. The haft was the dark-green and black of her newly acquired demon-energy, and the blade radiated her holy blue and pink power of her miko energy. She smiled, glad she was still able to imbue objects with her energy and not just arrows.

She lifted her glaive in both hands, and slashed across the cocoon, boosted with her demon energy, she sent a crescent-shaped shockwave through the cocoon, and where the holy-energy riding the edge of the crescent touched, the flesh sizzled away, and obliterated everything in the pathway that was composed of demon-tissue.

As everything fell to ash, Kagome began to believe Tobiume's words; her blood was singing in her ears, and she was positively humming with energy and the sheer joy and freedom to fight. She was becoming a Jagera. After the attack was through, the particles of energy scattered through the air abruptly paused in their wanderings and reversed direction to slam back into Kagome's body.

Kagome took a step back, with a barely-concealed hiss. She staggered and fought to stay upright as the coursing power of her body battled to equilibrate inside her. She slammed the butt of her glaive into the ground and leaned on it in order to stay upright. Suddenly the sensation vanished, and her son kicked vigorously to declare he was there. Kagome smiled at his antics, and was glad he was alright.

* * *

The rest of the week went by relatively quietly, and Rukaze was now recovered to good health and would be able to recover the rest of the way as she traveled. Kagome settled in the saddle, and Rukaze danced a bit in place, feeling Kagome's excitement and anticipation to be off. It was a wonder to sit astride him finally, and Kagome could not contain her rush of happiness. She could feel his power and energy coursing inside him; the bunching corded muscles, and the easy and smooth manner in which he moved bespoke liquid strides and a wonderful character. Kagome leaned back just a bit in the saddle and brushed his sides with her boots while raising the reins just so… Rukaze wasted no time, and plunged into a brisk trot. The day was clear and the sun was shining brightly, which was painful with all of the snow still on the ground. Kagome was glad Rukaze seemed content to stay on the worn path, because it gave her time to focus on her surroundings in search for Jewel shards.

She had been feeling three on the horizon for some time now. Two were in the same place while one other was further south. She angled Rukaze to run directly to the location with two, and she glanced down the length of her glaive held comfortable in her left hand. She clicked at Rukaze to lope for a time of two minutes before slowing him down again to walk.

She didn't want to push him too hard.

The landscape turned mountainous, with conifers and other trees dotting the slopes. The wood sap scent of pine and other interesting smells filled the air and Kagome found it enjoyable except for the fact she could now barely identify her own horses' smell, let alone anything out of the ordinary. She put herself on dead alert as she tried her best to look out for enemies hiding in the trees. Her delicate nose was wasted here. Any half-intelligent enemy would know to disguise themselves in the wood sap scent of angiosperms.

Rukaze stepped along cautiously, picking up on Kagome's tense feelings she was giving off, and though she had not told him to; he had slowed down to a brisk, if nervous, walk. Abruptly, Rukaze reared up with a scream as a small white blur dropped down in front of the pair, in the same moment, something mildly heavy fell on Kagome's shoulders.

"Where did you get those robes, you grave-robber! How dare you steal from the dead!" A voice behind her yelled, that young child's voice was one she thought she would never hear again. It was unmistakable.

It was proven the moment Rukaze spun on his hind legs and leaped away from the fire-pillar that erupted in front of him to reveal a much larger Kilala, the weight fell from her back as Rukaze sailed through the air away from the pair. Kagome's eyes went wide as she recognized the voice and the fire-cat. She pulled Rukaze around so she could face the two, her Jewel-shard senses telling her the Jewel shards were very close now.

"Shippo?" she said, hardly believing what her eyes were telling her was real. "Kilala?" The two froze in their crouched positions as they stared at her in puzzlement and shock. Kagome launched herself from Rukaze's back onto the ground in front of Shippo, she kneeled at his feet and spread her arms, dropping her glaive at her side.

Shippo took one step forward, then another, his face scrunched up in concentration as he tried to sort out her scent from all the scents of pine and wood sap around him.

"Who are you? How do you know me?" He said, rather gruffly.

"Shippo, don't you recognize me? Do you remember at least my smell?"

"I don't know any dog demons, especially not any around here. And there's only one dog demon who I know, but he's way way west. Sesshoumaru, and he's not exactly a friend."

"Come close to me, tell me what you smell. Tell me you don't know me, then. We're not enemies, and I know that Lord Sesshoumaru would not dare harm you now. He's my brother now, after all…"

Shippo glared at her, "You're his sister? I find that hard to believe, Sesshoumaru had only one sibling, and he's dead now."

"He is my brother, it's the truth. Just smell me, it's true!"

"Fine!" Shippo darted forward, and grasped Kagome's hair, and buried his nose deep in her neck, sniffing deeply. He stumbled back, moments later. "Ka-Kagome! W-Why do you look like that? I thought you were dead!" He wailed, then he threw his arms around Kagome's neck, and cried piteously. "Momma! Kagome, you're okay! I thought you were dead, we couldn't find you after the battle, oh Kagome!"

Kagome wrapped her arms around him, "There-there, little love, it's alright Shippo. Kilala, come here, give me a hug, too!" Kilala complied with a pitiful mewl, her eyes large and looking wet with emotions. Suddenly, Shippo pulled back.

"Kagome, you're pregnant! You do know, don't you? Oh, I knew Inuyasha had it in him, I'm so happy, I'm gonna have a little brother!" Shippo had been the only one besides Kilala and Sango to realize that Inuyasha had marked Kagome, and claimed her as his. Sango because during the next bath time, Sango had spotted the tell-tale marking on the juncture of shoulder and neck.

Kagome laughed, "Of course I know, Shippo, he…told be before he died. And Sesshoumaru and his grandmother confirmed it, but that's not important right now, guys. What matters is that you're safe now. Oh, I thought I lost you little loves." She gave them one last big squeeze before standing up. Shippo was ecstatic, excitedly rubbing Kagome's scent all over himself. Taking comfort in her presence, and loving character. Kilala was doing the same thing, but as she took in Kagome's new scent, she hopped away and sneezed. Looking back at Kagome in surprise, her red eyes were contemplative.

Kagome walked over to Rukaze's side, with Shippo and Kilala perched on her shoulders.

"So Kagome, you're a Dog-demon now? How did this happen?"

"It's a long story, Shippo—"

Rukaze decided that if his lady was so calm and happy around these two creatures, then there must be nothing to fear after all. He sniffed Kagome's hand, rumbled a greeting, and reassuring to himself that she was not hurt. He felt better when she was safely on his back again. It bugged him as well that he could not smell anything in this forest except for pine sap, and cedar.

"You've got the markings of the Western Lands, Kagome did Sesshoumaru steal you away?"

"Kind of, Nii-sama has been very kind adopting me into his family."

"Nii-sama… so you're his sister now, huh? Then that means you went through the Adoption Ritual of Royale Demons!" He exclaimed, his eyes wide in awe. "Kagome, you could have died!"

"I did." Kagome hoisted herself into the saddle, and Rukaze began to move. Kilala situated herself more comfortably to sit in the front of Kagome's kimono, while Shippo opted to sit on her shoulder. Kagome glanced at him after his continued silence.

At seeing his suddenly horrified expression, Kagome amended herself.

"I went through the Ritual, but I did not die. I was strong enough…I actually didn't know that it was fatal…" She would need to talk to Tobiume and Sesshoumaru about that…

"Oh… Oh Kagome, I thought you must have been devoured, when I came to, and couldn't find your body anywhere. By the way, it took me days to make it back to camp, and Kilala here was so adamant about me staying where I was." He shot a nasty glare over at Kilala

"It had been the idea to keep you safe, Shippo. She was doing her duty."

"So, how far along are you? It's the beginning of winter now…ya'll mated early in the spring, so you're almost one year along now! That's cool!"

"Yeah, I can't wait to actually see him, he's very precious."

"He? How do you know it's a boy?"

"Because, Inuyasha is a son of Inutaisho, who is the father of Sesshoumaru. Such a son could only beget another son."

"Oh." Shippo looked skeptical, he rummaged in his haori for a while before finally finding his quarry. "Well, I have something for you, Kagome. Look here!" He held out two shards of the Jewel, Kagome gasped, and hugged Shippo tightly with one arm, while the other kept a hold of the reins as Rukaze walked placidly down the path.

"Oh you are such a good boy, and look, they are barely even tainted. Did you kill for those, Shippo?"

"Of course I did. I thought I was the only one left. It was my duty…"

Kagome gave a soft, sad smile. "You are so brave, Shippo."

She kissed his forehead and took the proffered shards, they shimmered bright pink as they touched her hands and she fused them with the rest of her shards on her neck.

"Come on, let's go, there are more shards to find. Have you eaten, guys?"

She received vigorous exclamations of denial and she laughed.

"Alright, let's find a place to eat then. I've got bread and cheese, it's a tasty cheese, by the way. Tastes like parmesan cheese and cheddar cheese, with raspberries. Very smooth."

Shippo squealed with delight, "I know where we can camp, then. Follow me!"

* * *

Lunch was a simple affair, yet filling. Shippo was ecstatic over the cheese as soon as he tasted it and Kilala was purring after just one bite of the delicious substance. Kagome prepared sandwiches of cheese stuffed into the loafs of bread and served with water from snowmelt. After the two were settled and eating like normal, she left them to hunt down a meal. She caught a boar demon, and killed it quickly, eating her fill and dragging back two of the flanks for a quick meal later.

* * *

Man, there's another chapter done. You can tell their eating habits come from what I happen to be eating at the time I'm writing this, lol. It makes me laugh, privately.


	4. The Blood that Guards Us

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Inuyasha. One by one, we disappear.**

**Four are down. Who is the Fifth? Some days, it is like holding a Wolf by the ears. You are afraid of holding on, but even more afraid of letting go. Why can't I let go? Death is a trivial matter…**

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"_**Flow with whatever is happening and let your mind be free. Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing. This is the ultimate."**_** –Chuang Tzu**

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Chapter Four: Family Ties –The Blood That Binds Us

* * *

After lunch, Kagome and everyone set out once again, Shippo riding on Kagome's shoulder while Kilala sat behind the saddle, curled up on the saddlebag cross-piece.

When Shippo began shivering, Kagome slid her gaze over at him and frowned in concern. Without a word, she opened her saddlebag and reached a hand inside, making a spot for Shippo to sit in out of the wind and cold.

"Get in Shippo."

"Oh-okay." He stuttered, his teeth chattering. Kilala mewled piteously, and Kagome offered her arm, she took it eagerly and crawled to her side. Kagome lifted the fire cat and set her inside her kimono, near her heart. She could hear Kilala begin to purr after a time, and Kagome smiled.

Rukaze continued south towards the next Jewel shard. They would make it by about nightfall, Kagome surmised quietly as she glanced up at the sun while tracking the Jewel Shard with her senses.

* * *

Kagome stared blankly at the tree in front of her. After several hours of painstaking crouching and stalking the shard in case of a hidden demon, the end result was this.

"You have got to be kidding me." She stated in a monotone voice laced with incredulousness. She stood before what used to be a massive oak tree, whose growth seemed to stem from the shard it possessed. While the tree had no demonic energy itself, it had grown to immense proportions anyways due to the shard imbedded deep within its trunk.

Kagome stood on one of the massive roots that rose from the ground directly at eye level with the shard, most conveniently. She had been striking the sharp edge of her glaive in the same spot for several minutes with still no progress. It was as if the bark had taken on the density of stone or steel.

She observed the scuff marks left on the tree, at a loss of what to do. She didn't want to kill the tree, but this seemed to be the only solution to her problem. She growled and prepared a spell for fire under her breath, turning, she hopped off the tree root to the edge of the clearing to pick one of the numerous dead tree branches for fuel to feed her spell-flame on. Demon magic could be used in many schools, and fire was the easiest, but also the most dangerous.

Closing her eyes, she allowed the persona of fire to fill her mind. She held the branch in her left hand as her right hand traced symbols in the air, as she hummed and thrummed in her throat, the marks remained in the air; glowing an eerie red-orange. The words for the spell spilled off her tongue in an almost struggle to escape confinement within her being, which didn't make sense. The free-magic words left a sulfuric taste in her mouth as they burned her throat upon exiting.

Opening her eyes, she finished her casting, and aimed her fingers outstretched in the position for '_Burn all before thee'_ at the tree trunk, directly at the shard. A roiling large fire ball composed of blue and white flames emerged from her hand, and shot towards the tree. As the ball spun in the air, one could see the shifting colors of bright bluish-yellow, and orange churning within. On the edges, barely perceptible, was a faint coloration of black and blue flames flickering just on the edge of tangibility.

It slammed into the tree with great force, and the tree noticeably trembled, yet held steady. But the fire ball did not go out. It continued to push against the trunk, burning through as it went. A heavy whirring sound was heard as it drilled through the tree, before altering and turning into a high-pitched whine that had Kagome and Shippo and Kilala holding their ears against the onslaught of sound attacking their ear-drums.

A bright flash pulsed, before the fire-ball winked out, and when Kagome and Shippo looked back at the tree, a hole the size of a basketball had been drilled through the trunk. Kagome jumped up to the tree root and peered through the hole. Inside she caught the faint glimmer of pink, and reached a hand in bravely to fish it out.

There were very few things in this world that could withstand the heat from a fire ball cast by a Dog-Demon Royale, whether male or female. The Shikon Jewel was one of those things; the concentrated Spirit Particles were extremely powerful and could override almost anything that tried to unmake it, because it was something half in the world of the living and half in the world of the dead.

The heat was unbearable, and Kagome hissed as she withdrew the shard from the hole. The shard was sizzling in her hand, and her fingers began to blister and burn from the contact. She quickly dropped it on the ground to cool off in a pile of snowmelt. The snow steamed and hissed in aggravation and quickly turned into a puddle of water. After Kagome kicked in more snow into the puddle, she reached in and picked up the shard with her other hand. It was blessedly cool to the touch now, and Kagome sighed in relief before dropping it into her pouch with the rest of the shards.

She lifted her burned hand to see the blisters and burns flaring red in agitation. She licked her burns, and whined soothingly to herself, then turned back towards the others. A sound caught her attention, and her gaze swiveled back to the tree.

Moments after removing the Jewel shard, color started leaching out of the tree. With a hole boring its way straight through the center of the tree, Kagome watched the leaves began to drop to the ground as the tree began to die. She narrowed her eyes, wishing she knew of another way to get to the shard than to kill this tree that was only wanting to live. The heart of the tree gave an odd groan and the color of the tree quickly faded to a dull gray, and the leaves began to fall more quickly. A light chiming sound started all around her, and Kagome turned about herself, mystified, until her gaze fell on the leaves falling to the ground. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"They've turned to stone!" she said, her voice barely a whisper. She turned immediately back to the trunk to see that it had also turned to a light stone, quartz to be exact; it was beautiful and quietly remorseful at the same time, that something dead could still carry such a quiet yet dignified beauty.

Disquieted, Kagome moved the group some distance back the way they had come to rest for the night. With the fire burning merrily, Shippo and Kilala played in its light a strange game of tag, their laughter in stark contrast to the contemplative frown marring Kagome's features. Rukaze stood near the fire, enjoying the warmth from the flames, yet distrustful of its existence.

She thought about the tree from earlier, and how it reminded her of how much time she had in this world, she knew she would live to possibly thousands of years, more if she was lucky, and she would have her son beside her. She would share with him all the joys she had known. She paused suddenly.

Family.

She hadn't seen her family in ages. She halted that thought; she was a demon now, and in a few years would be a mother, her mother would hold her first grandchild.

Wait, first? That would imply she may have more. Her thoughts drifted off to the stoic, silver-haired demon she called brother, and squashed the thought almost immediately. That would never work out, he had stated as such from the beginning that she was his sister by law and adoption. She shook her head, dismissing such traitorous thoughts.

'_No, that would not do to grow attached to your dead mate's brother.'_ She chided herself.

'_Ah, Inuyasha, what would you have me do?'_

_

* * *

_

Weeks drifted by, and the dead of winter finally set in, Kagome was able to gather five more shards from the bodies from weaker, lesser demons, but knew she could not keep it up; eventually, someone was going to fill the void left by Naraku and take over that role as a power-hungry, greedy individual. Kagome knew this, and her pace became almost frantic as she stretched out her awareness as far and as swiftly as she could in order to track down and locate as many Jewel shards as possible.

She made one stop at the Western Lands, at Sesshoumaru's castle atop the hill where she dropped off Shippo and Rukaze, despite the deep-hearted protests from the two. She kept Kilala with her, the demon cat had proven her worth plenty of times, and would be invaluable help if Kagome were too badly injured to run to the safety of Sesshoumaru's castle herself.

Sesshoumaru had greeted her at the gates, pleased and surprised by the presence of Shippo and Kilala, not to mention the horse Kagome had become so attached to.

He was more than pleased to see Kagome herself, though it was difficult to see to all but Kagome. He had stepped forward immediately, and embraced her, running his nose through her hair discreetly as he checked her for the scent of another male, only pleased to find she had allowed no male close to her, besides the kit.

With Kagome held closely in his arms, it was easy to feel her son start to kick out again at the familiar presence of Sesshoumaru's spiritual pressure. He wondered if she would notice, when the child was born, that the child…no, best not think of it. Sesshoumaru stood very still, he and Kagome's bodies pressed together as he felt the child's activities within.

Shippo stood some distance away, it was clear to him that Sesshoumaru was struggling within himself, the older male greatly wanted to claim Kagome for his own, but the child in Kagome's womb was a clear indicator that he should wait before pushing the issue. If Kagome could scent Sesshoumaru's intentions and interest, she gave no sign. Or perhaps, she welcomed him to try.

After that, she left a day later, Sesshoumaru's scent clinging to her. She was no fool, and she had realized the truth just after she had arrived the day before. Sesshoumaru had been acting more possessive over her than before, and though his facial expressions remained neutral, there was a certain glimmer in his eyes that told her of the intensity of his feelings.

Her hair stood free of the braid, trailing down her back, in the morning sun shining through it. She sighed, and took up the rest of her hair, braiding it skillfully between her fingers before tossing it back over her shoulder.

As she took in her new direction, north, her eyes set in a grim look of determination and she set her shoulders back before launching into a ground-eating lope. At this pace, she could run for miles without stopping to rest.

The morning was brutally cold, wind driving down in relentless sheets carrying with it particles of ice and snow on the merciless northern wind. She had been traveling north for three days now. Kagome was glad for her pace; it would keep her plenty warm in addition to the fire-rat robe she still wore, and while she wasn't particularly as cold as she would be if she were a human, she could still feel the cold. Kilala lay snuggled in the front of the kimono, keeping warm in all her cat-like glory.

An estimate told her she still had fourteen shards to find, when she completed the Jewel, she would then deal with the situation with Sesshoumaru, the man was wise, surely he would understand her decision.

She collected two more Jewel shards by the end of the week, the demons she killed having often attacked the villages as they relished in their new-found false power. Though she tried her best to work in the back-ground, word of her spread as an enigmatic and mysterious demon with a fire-cat by her side.

Now when she entered villages to get good water to drink, or a bite of some savory dish she had smelled from outside the village, people recognized her and hailed her as some winter savior.

They pressed gifts on her, which she accepted reluctantly, and promptly handed off to people who seemed like the needed it. She would drop off bolts of fabric to families who looked cold, the rice to the hungry, and so on. Though she never passed the gifts off in the same village. She smiled inwardly at the thought of her becoming some kind of 'Santa Clause.'

* * *

Finally, she stood on a hill looking down onto Inuyasha's village. Snow blanketed the ground thickly and the rooftops as well. Kilala peered out from the front of her kimono eagerly at the sight of the familiar village.

"Here goes nothing, Kilala." She whispered, the wind pulling her words away. But the cat heard her and gave an encouraging thrum to her mistress.

Kagome stepped down into the village, people seeing her were not sure what to make of the dog demon, she wore the familiar robes of their old protector, yet her hair was slightly darker than his, and she was _female._ But most of all, she bore the marks of the Western Lands. On top of that, she was a full Dog-demon. Kagome ignored them and strode straight to Kaede's hut, when she entered, the old woman was not there and the fire was burning down to embers.

The tall Dog-Demon Royal frowned, the elderly woman was probably out delivering a baby or something. Kagome motioned for Kilala to wait within the two-room hut as she turned around and left to get firewood. Kilala leapt to the floor and perched near the fire-pit.

Kagome stepped back out into the falling snow outside and walked around to the side of the hut where the old woman usually kept her fire-logs. It was empty. Her brows furrowed; was no one in the village taking care of their only miko?

She turned away and marched into the sweeping forest of Inuyasha, anyone looking at her closely would notice she was severely annoyed.

Kagome returned a few minutes later carrying enough wood to last Kaede several weeks. She stacked it against the wall and was just finishing up when she heard voices coming her way, one was definitely Kaede.

She quickly gathered up a handful of logs into her hands and stood up straight, just as Kaede and another woman came into view.

"Thank you so much for your help today, lady Kaede. My son would have surely not made it if it were not for—" the woman's voice trailed off as she turned her gaze to see Kagome. Kagome stood motionless in front of them, her arms full.

"Leave us, Kione. I will be fine." Kaede said, her voice suddenly cold. Kagome almost blinked at the change in tone. She had never heard Kaede sound so indifferent. The woman bowed her head and left, Kaede sighed and entered the hut, Kagome following close behind.

Kilala stood up and yowled a greeting.

"It has been awhile, Kaede." Kagome offered.

"Do I know ye, child?" the old woman shot back with a strange look. "Because the only things I recognize on you is the robes and those markings. The fire-cat is well known to me. So speak."

Kagome sighed, "I am the last of the group. Naraku is dead, and he took Sango, Miroku, and…" her voice broke, and her gaze wavered, "He took Inuyasha, too. Before he died, he—Inuyasha I mean, told me to have his fire-rat robe. I was found later by Sesshoumaru, and he adopted me after he healed my injuries. I am…I was the mate to Inuyasha. I am Kagome, Kaede, and you have nothing to fear from the Western Lands."

Kaede was silent for a time, her gaze soft. She knew something had happened befallen the group, but had been unable to search them out. Now she knew, and the girl from the well was sitting before her as a demon.

"Are you angry with me?" It had not sounded like a question, but it was. The demon standing before her could kill her with one careless slip of control over her spiritual pressure, but this girl, no this woman, sought forgiveness for something. For what? For living? For being the only survivor in a battle in which it took great skill to survive? Or was it that she was a member of the Royal Family of the Western Lands, the Inu-Taichos? Just because she was adopted?

Ridiculous.

"How can I be angry with ye, Kagome. Ye have done nothing wrong."

Relief seemed to flood Kagome's facial expression, as her eyes crinkled before she recomposed her neutral mask. She looked the perfect image of Sesshoumaru then, Kaede wondered if the girl knew.

Kagome abruptly turned away to the near-dead fire and set up the logs she had dropped near to the pit. Within a few seconds, the fire was burning merrily illuminating the interior of the hut to reveal the racks of drying herbs and drying cloths, the earthenware oven off to the side, and Kagome in even sharper relief.

Kaede's eyes opened wider as she gazed up at Kagome's hair, her hair was no longer that shade of black it had been earlier, before the transformation from being a human.

"Kagome, your hair… It's not black any more, in the darkness it was difficult to tell, but now I see it is not black anymore."

Kagome reached her hands up to her braid, "Yeah, I noticed. I'm not sure why it changed color. Perhaps it's because my blood is a mixture of Sesshoumaru's and mine, or my power grew and changed, and it affected my hair to the dark steel-gray it is now. Otherwise I'll look even more like Nii-sama."

She scoffed, but there was a hidden tenderness as she said the last bit, it made Kaede pause.

"He has been helpful to ye, has he not, Kagome?"

"He has, I trust him very much. I—"

Kagome stopped mid-speech to place a hand on her stomach, a tender look crossed her eyes, and Kaede's blood ran cold.

"Kagome."

Kagome jerked her head up quickly, a wild and feral gleam in her eyes flashed for a moment then disappeared.

"Are ye with child?"

Kagome blinked, and her mouth set into a thin line.

"Yes, I am."

"Did Lord Sesshoumaru…"

"No, he did not. This is Inuyasha's progeny. He is the reason I stand before you as I am now, as a demon. Why Sesshoumaru adopted me."

With the look in Kaede's eyes at that suggestion, Kagome's eyes took on a mischievous light. "What, would the lord of the Western Lands be an unsuitable match for me?"

"No, no! Kagome, I do not mean to imply any such thing as that. But you are in a vulnerable time right now. You were very close to Inuyasha and the others. You lost them, Kagome, and it wasn't that long ago."

Kagome hung her head, her eyes tracing the wood grains of the floor. When she looked up again, tears swam in her gold-flecked eyes.

"You are right, Kaede, I did lose them. But I must be strong. I need to finish what I started when I broke the Shikon. And most of all, I need to be strong for my son, who will be here soon. When all this is over, then I can find time within myself to grieve. But right now, I'm running on borrowed time."

"But Kagome, ye don't look that far along, child. That is why I wonder if ye are sure the child belongs to Inuyasha. Also, it cannot be healthy to bottle up such feelings, Kagome. You need to accept what you're feeling, and express it if it becomes too much. You can't carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. Even a demon's strength cannot do that. Whatever dalliance you had with Sesshoumaru could not be helpful to your emotions."

Kagome sat up straight, her eyes tight. "Enough, Kaede. This is the son of Inuyasha. Dog-demons don't ever show their pregnancy."

Kaede opened her mouth in surprise at the vehemence in Kagome's tone. She felt awash with guilt for the things she had said, for the things she had implied. This was Kagome! How could she have thought that Kagome would have done something like that?

"Kagome-sama, please forgive me. I should have known better than to think you could have done something like that. I am not very familiar with Dog-demons aside from Inuyasha, of course." The old woman bowed low and remained prostrate, awaiting Kagome's judgment. Kagome's anger dissipated at seeing the woman bent before her. She huffed, and turned her head away.

"Get up Kaede. I forgive you."

Kaede sat up again, looking sheepish. The rest of the evening passed uneventfully after that, and when her son kicked within her, she let Kaede place her hands over her womb.

* * *

The next morning, Kagome woke up early, steeling herself for a trip down the well. Kagome felt odd not having the protection of an escort, not needing it. She hefted her glaive and stepped onto the familiar path up to the old well. Ker katana slapped against her leg as she walked through the silent wood. She crested the final hill, and walked up to the edge of the well. She peered down, wondering if it would still let her pass. She sat on edge and threw her legs over the side. With one last sigh, she dropped off the edge into the inky darkness below.

Just as she thought she was going to hit the bottom, the blue light appeared and enveloped her, transporting her through time and space.

The light left her, and when Kagome looked up, the ceiling of the well-house met her eyes. With an easy leap, she jumped out of the well, and landed crouched on the edge of the well. Seeing the coast was clear, Kagome shook herself, _'why so jumpy, girl? This is your home...'_

She stepped down from the well, stretching to her full height and walking to the door, she paused and looked down at her glaive, _'I can't bring this out there! Mom will freak!'_ She set it down and leaned it against the wall, and her katana soon followed. That settled, she slid open the door and gazed out across the courtyard. The smells of the city permeated the air; pollution, sewage, and humans. It was close to overpowering. Kagome reached a hand up to cover her nose with her sleeve, her scent, along with Sesshoumaru, reached her nose, the smell of Inuyasha's scent was also there, but barely.

She groaned, no wonder Inuyasha hated it in her time! This was awful! She walked in the predawn light towards the house, the house had its lights on so she knew her family was awake. _'Probably getting ready for school.'_ She thought, her palms were dry as she walked to the door and slid it open. Everyone in the kitchen paused in what they were doing. Souta and Grandpa sat at the table, the food in their chopsticks in varying distances from their mouths. Kagome's mother, Kimiko, was at the stove, she was looking at Kagome in surprise and curiosity, with a small degree of something akin to pensive stirring in her eyes. Her mother was the first to speak.

"Can I help you?" she said cautiously. Kimiko did not know what a demon was, had never seen one before, besides Inuyasha a handful of times, but something about the enormously tall creature standing in her doorway spoke of "Demon." Perhaps it was the sharply pointed ears, coupled with the red stripes across her cheeks, and on her wrists. Whatever it was, Kimiko was certain she was a demon, and a powerful one.

"I…yes, I have news for you. About your daughter." Kimiko blinked, tears suddenly welled in her eyes. Something had happened to Kagome!

"Right this way, please sit down." Kagome did as she was bidden, feeling awkward with her family not recognizing her. It was difficult to be right there in front of her own mother, and have her looking so privately grief-stricken.

"Now, would you like some tea?" Kimiko's voice almost broke, and her hands shook as she offered the tea pot. Kagome looked down at the mug in front of her, when had the mug gotten there?

"Yes, thanks."

"Ah. So, tell me about my daughter."

"I was there with them as we fought against the demon Naraku, it was the final battle, if only because we would not allow Naraku to escape that time. It was seven months ago, early spring. We were successful, but at great cost. I am the only survivor; Inuyasha, Sango, and Miroku fell in that tragic battle. Afterwards," Kagome took a deep breath, "Inuyasha's older brother Sesshoumaru adopted me into his family for protection. When the Jewel is complete, I will not be able to cross through the well."

Kagome took a long sip of her tea, then looked at her mother and met her gaze squarely, "I am Kagome."

Kimiko choked on her own tears and lurched around the table to her daughter, "Kagome!" She enveloped the tall demon in to a hug. She had a small feeling of familiarity about the demon's mannerisms, the furtive glances she kept throwing her way, it all made sense now. Her daughter was so different, as a demon. She was amazingly tall, yet lithe and slender; her face shape was mostly the same, but her brows were more upswept, and fine. Her hair was not the inky black it had been, but was now a lighter, yet still dark, steel-gray.

"I won't be able to return through the well, but Dog-demons live a long time. I will try to contact you again if I live to the present times."

Kagome cradled her mother in her arms, finding her roles reversed was astonishing. Her mother was so little! Souta came around the table, and after a moment's hesitation, he too joined the hug.

"My Kagome, what have you done to yourself!" Her grandfather cried out in dismay, but he too also came over to embrace her.

"My little Kagome…this is too much for this old heart to bear. My only granddaughter has been turned into a demon!" He whimpered, Kagome frowned at him, "grandpa, I'm still me, you haven't lost me. I doubt I'll look any different after five hundred years. Please don't be angry."

For once, her son was silent within her; there was no kicking or pushing at the sounds coming from this world outside of his own. Kagome felt grateful to him, it would be disastrous if they all found out she was pregnant this way. It was bad enough that she wouldn't see her mother and brother, and grandfather, for five-hundred years, they didn't need to know that she was also going to be a mother.

Later, after Souta had gone off to school, Kagome constructed a disguise for herself which composed of a simple affair of a spell to hide her markings, and another spell to make her appear to be wearing modern clothing. Her hair she pulled back into a braid, and tied off with an amazing hair-tie! Oh how she missed those simple articles!

Her mother drove her in the family SUV, it was an old 1986 Honda CRV, but it ran well and lived forever. Their first stop was the Equine Market; Kagome used some of her mother's funds to purchase a twisted snaffle-bit, and a nylon halter and lead rope, along with a leather bridle, and another saddle pad. With those articles, she also purchased saddle-soap, and different leather-conditioners for her horse-tack. Kagome also purchased several boxes of equine vaccines and horse antibiotics. She couldn't have her horse getting sick after all.

After piling everything into the car, they drove to the local market and Kagome purchased more hair-ties, a novelty she would never overlook again in her travels. After that, they drove to the local used book-store and Kagome started dropping all kinds of fictional works into her basket; even authors she had previously not paid any attention to. She began just dropping in any books that caught her attention, she would look them over later; some of the authors she noticed was Orson Scott Card, L. E. Modesitt Jr., Terry Goodkind, and Kristine Kathryne Rusch, and several other note-worthy authors that caught her attention.

While she had been a young girl going to school in modern Japan, she had never any time for the literate arts, but with her adventures in the past, and battling with Miko magic and demonic energy, she had developed a taste for those other more fantastic and unbelievable works as the science fiction department.

With her purchases paid for, Kagome and her mother returned home, and Kagome packed everything methodically into as small and secure a bag as possible. Kimiko walked her daughter back to the well house. It was after Kagome had buckled on her katana, and hefted her glaive and during Kagome's last hug to her mother that her son made his presence known. Kimiko gasped and leaned away from her daughter in puzzlement, "Kagome, what…"

"I can explain, mother!" Kagome felt like a young girl again, as she spoke hurriedly.

"Inuyasha and I had gotten married on the first day of spring, I had promised to stay in the past with him. The final battle occurred…and he was lost to me, I didn't find out until later, that's why Sesshoumaru-sama adopted me into the family, but the magic was so strong that It changed me into a full demon…mother please understand, what I did was right!"

Kimiko stared at her daughter, then her gaze drifted down to Kagome's waist, still flat, but from which the strong kick had come from.

"Alright, I'll believe you. I don't have any other choice, anyways. I suppose you want me to stay quiet about my grandson?"

"You'll meet him someday, I promise."

"Fine. But promise me one thing."

"Anything, mom."

"Next time I see you, you better be married. I want more than just one grandchild, Kagome."

Kagome blushed a deep red. "Yes, mom."

"Five hundred years is a long time, Kagome. I expect a big family."

"Mom!" Kagome was thoroughly embarrassed, even her pointed ears were tinged red. "Alright, you get going now. You have much to do, my beautiful daughter. Remember this day, Kagome; November twenty-seventh, two-thousand five. You can visit me on this evening."

Kagome nodded once and then dropped through the well, the blue light engulfing her.

After the blue light faded, a large clawed hand rested itself on Kimiko's shoulder, "There she goes then…"  
~*~


	5. The Shards that Tempt Us

**Disclaimer: I negate all rights to this anime series. I own nothing. Don't look at me like that, you know you wish you could own it, too. All that is known is that the Moon Child is here. They took his eyes for daring to see what was really going on. **

"_Don't bother about being modern. Unfortunately it is the one thing that, whatever you do, you cannot avoid."_ –Salvador Dali

* * *

Chapter Five: Prince Ulquiorra Shirayuki of the Northern Lands

* * *

On the other side, she was greeted by the sight of Kilala perched on the edge, staring down at her. Kagome leaped up and landed neatly next to the well. With a soft chirp, Kilala hopped up to Kagome's shoulder and Kagome reflexively lifted a hand to the front of her kimono to allow Kilala to crawl inside and peek her head up out of her collar. Kagome went back to Kaede's hut to find the old woman drying herbs and checking her stock of other herbs she might need.

Kaede glanced at Kagome as she came in.

"When are you due, Kagome?"

"Not until later in the spring another year from now." Kagome blinked, surprised at her words. That was correct, she had fallen pregnant earlier in the spring that year, giving a little over a year left in her incubation period. Then her eyes narrowed, realizing she still didn't want to be chasing Jewel shards when the time came to whelp.

"I…ah, so soon now! I need to find the rest of the shards! Kaede I need you to hold some things for me, okay?"

"Alright, Kagome. I'll keep them for you." Kagome set down her bag near the floor boards, and pulled some up, much to Kaede's dismay. Kagome swiftly stuffed the bag under the floor boards, and then reset the boards. She dusted off her hands on her thighs.

Kagome turned right around to face the door, and paused.

"Kaede, I think…when I have my son, I'll come visit you to show you the son of Inuyasha. He was a precious man to many of us. Stay alive until then."

"I will await ye, Kagome. Safe travels."

"Ah."

With that, Kagome left. She ran dead north, her senses stretching out trying to find any flicker of a Shikon shard, it would be several days before she found any flashes in her internal radar.

Kagome skidded to a stop, her eyes widening in surprise. The flicker of a Jewel shard she had felt earlier was much larger. It could only mean one thing; it was a more powerful demon with more than five shards in its possession. Such a realization chilled her to the bone, all she had ever faced were weak creatures to begin with, with only possessing one or two shards of the Shikon Jewel. Only truly strong demons could gather more than one shard like that, and still have the strength of mind to gather more.

'_Good gracious, he's got a good chunk of the Jewel there!'_ She thought, still stunned. She smirked, _'Now I'll get a real challenge!'_ She hefted her glaive and motioned for Kilala to leave her warm sanctuary in Kagome's haori and prepare for battle. Kilala transformed as soon as she hit the ground and so it was that cat and dog fell into battle together side by side. They surged forward in a brisk walk the rest of the way perfectly in step together; heavy feline jaw set in a battle-ready grin, and Kagome's glaive glimmering in the morning light, the sun on her right hand side, still hidden by the trees.

When they crested the hill, they found his back turned towards them. Kagome saw six shards. One in his head, one in each arm, and one in each leg. The last was in his sternum, from what Kagome could tell. Kagome stopped, this demon appeared in a completely human form; the only thing giving him away was his sharply pointed ears and tail.

He stood half a head taller than her, and his long black hair stuck out in sharp contrast against his pale skin. As Kagome came to a stop some distance away from him, he turned his head slowly towards her. A frown marred his features as he gazed upon her.

Kagome swallowed thickly, and spoke up first. She really wasn't sure she wanted to fight this specimen of demonic grace.

"Why would one such as you seek the power of the Shikon shards, Demon? You look strong enough without them."

"Why I seek them is my business, Onna. Step away and I may let you and your companion live."

Kagome's grip tightened on her glaive, "I don't want to fight you, can we please have peace? I would rather not have to kill you."

"What?"

"Do you even know to whom you are speaking to? And I can't back off; it's my quest to unite the shards and send them into oblivion, so no one may ever use them again."

"I see." He turned towards her then, his stance set off all of Kagome's alarm bells, and Kagome's energy reflexively rose up and lashed out at the ground around her. "Then we have no choice but to fight."

"Please… I don't want to fight you, but I will if you leave me no choice."

"No. I will not release these shards. Unlike you, I yearn for a good fight."

"Tell me your name then, stranger." A cold wind blew between them and Kagome slid her feet apart slightly, and pulled on her own Spiritual Pressure to flow through her hands and down her weapon.

His green eyes flashed, "I am Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra Shirayuki."

"I am Kagome. Kagome no Inutaicho Jagera."

His head rose a little higher, and his eyes widened a fraction. _'Sesshoumaru has a sister?'_

"Do not lose your focus then, Kagome, stay fully alert."

With that, he drew his blade, its red-ribbon wrapped hilt had a red tassel to match the weaving of the hilt and the sash he wore on his dark outfit.

Kagome lunged forward before the blade fully emerged from the scabbard and crashed down on Ulquiorra's head, she felt a numbing shock as her blade met that of Ulquiorra's before he disappeared under her and she felt him behind her, she swung her glaive in a wave behind her back as she ran forward—straight onto his sword. She flinched and the blade sliced through the right side, skittering off the denser skin of her womb. _'Shit, he's fast!'_

She felt the blood trickling down her side, hot and sticky on her skin. The blade had only grazed her side, for which she was thankful, but that didn't stop the pain. She could not smother a groan of agony.

He jumped back away from her for a moment, his eyes dawning with a new understanding. Abruptly, he flickered out of her sight, and appeared standing just within her guard, he grabbed the glaive just under the blade and held it as she fought to yank it back. Snarling, Kagome tried to fight him off, he caught her collar, and peeled it back to reveal the mark.

He blinked, and let her go. Dodging her fierce counter-attack, he appraised her again.

"You carry the mark of a dead man, Kagome. That's what it means when it turns blue like that, but it also only turns blue when the mate is dead, _and_ you're with pup."

Kagome's eyes narrowed with suspicion, she fixed her stance, and lunged at Ulquiorra, their blades crossed, and Ulquiorra trapped hers in his guard.

"What of it?" She growled.

"Well, if you lose the pup, then the mark goes away." He grinned viciously for a moment, "Then you'd be up for grabs."

Kagome's face paled, and she broke free of his entrapment, "You wouldn't dare!"

"I would dare, eligible females are so hard to find. Especially those who have the potential to match me in a fight!" With that, he lunged forward, his blade raised level with his ear.

"Even if you succeed, I would kill myself before allowing you to take me, I would kill you before you could ever harm my son, and not only that, Lord Sesshoumaru would kill you, for daring to take what is his!" Kagome said, with doubled vehemence, her blood sang for battle, and her eyes began to dance with killing intent. A threat on her life was one thing; a threat on her pup was quite another.

"His? No, don't make me laugh, girl!" They clashed again, both fighting for the upper hand.

"This child is mine, and it is also his nephew. He would kill for both of us!" She drove him away from herself and struck, managing to strike a long gash across the tall demon's torso, dislodging the Jewel shard stuck in his torso. He roared in agony, and jumped away to recover. Kagome gave chase, not allowing him to rest and assess the damage. After a time, he turned in retaliation, and began a relentless pursuit.

Kagome spotted Kilala on the edges of battle, trying to find an opening in which to insert herself to help, but the pair was moving so quickly, it made it difficult to judge.

'_This feels like facing Sesshoumaru on crack.'_ She thought grimly, she was on the defensive now, just focusing on blocking his strikes and keeping him from maneuvering her into a corner. Her glaive became a blur even to her eyes as she focused entirely on feeling him out, feeling for his energy and blocking it with either end of her glaive.

This went on for several moments with Ulquiorra gaining the upper hand on Kagome. Her movements were slower, and with that came mistakes. A slash across Kagome's stomach was followed by a upward diagonal cut from her left hip to just under her right rib.

'_He's aiming for my son! How dare he!'_ She thought with white fury, she shook with pain and exhaustion, and Kagome wavered on her feet. Ulquiorra stood a small distance away, waiting to see if she would succumb to her injuries, or keep fighting. After all, he didn't want to kill her, just her pup.

A female in heat wouldn't really care who won her in a mating-flight.

Kagome staggered to one knee, and her glaive was stabbed butt end into the ground before her, as support for her trembling figure.

"Had enough, girl?" Ulquiorra asked, his voice devoid of emotion. "Are you ready to submit now?"

Watching her blood drip on the cold wet ground, Kagome felt furious that she was so badly injured, and yet… watching more and more of her life-blood leave her, she began to feel nothing at all. Suddenly, something seemed to rear its bestial head within her; the energy was like a wash of cold fury, and cool water. It invigorated and revived her like nothing she had ever experienced, the sensation was amazing! Even as she leaned there, she felt her blood stop flowing from her wounds as the injuries were sealed off from further blood loss.

This was her last piece of Inuyasha, she could not lose him! What about Sesshoumaru? He would rampage and snarl and be driven insane without her. Without the promise of an heir to Inuyasha's legacy, and his own lack of an heir would be unforgivable.

Red tinted her vision as a shadow appeared in front of her eyes; a dark shadow that spread outwards from her pupils. She could not lose. Would not.

A roaring filled her ears as the world seemed to both fall away and come colliding into her.

Colors she didn't know existed dazzled her, and wind whirled around her crouched form in a dizzying speed.

Kagome transformed into a massive light-gray dog that dwarfed the trees around her, her form varied from Sesshoumaru's in that she appeared more wolf-like than dog-like, such as Sesshoumaru's true form.

Ulquiorra looked up at her, surprise and fury plain on his face. Kagome lifted a paw and set it down experimentally, then with speed superior to when she was in her humanoid form, she lunged after Ulquiorra. Her glaive had fallen over in the ground when she dropped it, and the katana had sunk into her body along with her clothes. Ulquiorra cursed in fury that she would have speed to out-match her humanoid form; she was much faster than before.

Ulquiorra dodged and Kagome saw his eyes glow red before disappearing in a whirlwind tornado. Kagome snarled and lunged at the tornado, unwilling to give Ulquiorra a chance to transform. She bit onto the ever lengthening form, her mouth grasping a thick and sinuous neck. The wind cleared, in the same moment claws latched onto her sides. A massive black panther gripped her, his angry green eyes boring into hers. His claws dragged down, slashing her sides and Kagome released a muffled howl in pain.

Kagome threw her own claws up and scratched his belly, rewarded with a sudden stickiness on her claws, she bit down harder, her canines piercing the skin and ripping savagely.

His voice came out slightly strangled.

"Do not make the mistake that I would go easy on you, just because you would be an intended of mine, onna."

His claws came for another strike and Kagome managed to catch one of them in her own claw. Kagome growled and worked her saliva into the acid as Sesshoumaru had explained to her, this was the only form she could use acid. The effect was instantaneous; his low growl became a blood-curdling scream, as the acid began mixing with the blood in the wound. He thrashed in her maw wildly and it took everything Kagome had to keep him from tearing free, his claws slashed against her even more frantically, but Kagome could feel him slowly weakening.

Seeing this as her chance, Kagome released him and allowed him to jump away a few paces. Her eyes watched him critically, spotting the Jewel shards in his legs and head, the one in his sternum had fallen out in the beginning of their fight from her blade. With their locations confirmed, Kagome lunged forward, as she moved, a white blur landed on her shoulder.

"Mistress, where are his shards?"

"At the juncture-knee of each leg, Kilala, aim for his hind-left. I am striking his fore-right." Kagome growled, Kilala snarled her cat-like cry and leaped away, disappearing from Kagome's sight.

Kagome lunged forward and bit into his leg right over the shard, with an angry and pained roar, he swung his head down to catch her neck. Kagome was ready for him with a forepaw to slash at his face.

Another roar from him and an abrupt swing of his head the other direction told Kagome that Kilala had struck. Kagome drew his attention from the smaller cat by crunching down on the leg and snapping the bone. The great panther yowled in agony and fury. She felt the Jewel shard slip into her mouth after that and Kagome thrashed her head from side to side to rip off the limb for good measure.

She jumped away after that, her prize tucked safely under her tongue. Kilala landed on her shoulder sometime later, the Jewel shard on her tongue. Kagome opened her mouth and Kilala jumped onto her tongue, dropped the shard and promptly leaped out again. Kagome tucked that shard away, too.

Ulquiorra was a sitting duck now, though it didn't make him any less dangerous. He was bleeding mildly from Kilala's bite in his hind-left, and his fore-right leg was horrifyingly mangled. With the rather painful looking slashes at his stomach, plus the acid burned neck, he looked a terrible mess.

Kagome didn't look so good herself; she had some vicious looking slashes on her own belly, plus the gouges on her sides, and the single slash on her back from when she had been in her humanoid form.

Now, Kilala and Kagome lunged forward again, this time Kagome tackled the panther, pinning him to the ground as Kilala attacked his hind-right leg. When he struggled, Kagome reached her hind leg back and solidly pinned the evasive limb to the ground before moving on to the next foot as Kilala wrestled the shard free of his leg. When she plopped both of them into Kagome's waiting mouth, Kagome pressed Ulquiorra's head back until the last shard was exposed. The great cat struggled valiantly, until Kagome pressed a claw into his neck wound then he went deathly still as Kilala again fished out the shard with her much smaller sharp teeth.

With the last shard gone, the panther slumped in unconsciousness, relaxed in his complete exhaustion. Kagome turned away, her rage leaving her as she shifted back into her normal self, her shadow-self began to fade from her, back to the deepest levels of her consciousness. She pressed her hands to her womb, checking on her son and gasped in shock when he remained silent. She put her fingers in her mouth and fished out the shards in there and put them in her Shikon pouch.

Then she coated her fingers in her own saliva and began coating her wounds with the thick and slimy substance. The relief came soon after, as the natural anesthetic set in and the pain became a dull throb instead of the screaming agony it was before.

She looked back at the now humanoid man lying there in his own blood. Her eyes narrowed. She walked back over to him and stared down at his sleeping face. She should leave him here—to either live or die. It should not matter to her. She didn't really want to kill him though, but if her son was dead because of him, he had another thing coming.

With a shrug, she bent down to him and began licking his wounds, she stopped the bleeding in his arm, and reset the bone for it to heal. With a quick lick, she also minimized the damage done to his torso, and limbs. It was as she was bent over him, licking his forehead that his eyes fluttered open; as his eyes focused on her, bewilderment and confusion became clear on his face.

"Why are you helping me? I tried to kill you. I tried to kill your son."

Kagome drew back, wincing slightly as her body protested.

"I don't kill if I can help it, Ulquiorra. All I needed was the Jewel shards; your life was not necessary. I am leaving now."

With that she stood up and turned away, Kilala nosed her head under Kagome's arm. Kagome accepted the help gratefully and picked up her glaive where it fell. She had to get help; her son wasn't moving, and he always moved. This wasn't like him. Kagome walked forward, exhaustion making her movements slow. Spotting another glimmer on the ground, Kagome crouched down and picked up the last Jewel shard from the battle; the one that fell from his sternum. She tucked that one safely away into her pouch and continued to walk as slowly as before.

She listened half-heartedly to Ulquiorra's struggles behind her, but he wasn't coming after her. He was just making his out way out of the puddle of blood and into the forest. It was a good thing, because if Ulquiorra charged her again, she was going to drop very quickly. Her vision was already failing her, and sounds were coming as if from far away. She was not yet conditioned to healing from injuries like this on her own, not like Sesshoumaru was.

Kilala moved ahead of her and stopped, crouching in front of her. Kagome nodded her head and climbed onto her back sluggishly, Kilala took to the air, carrying Kagome as if she were a light weight, compared to carrying Miroku, Sango, and Kagome; she probably was. Kagome slumped on her back as Kilala raced away back south, sensing her lady's urgency.

* * *

It was late in the evening two days later when Kilala landed in the courtyard, Sesshoumaru had smelled Kagome's blood in the air and had been waiting for them anxiously, his eyes tinted red. Split-seconds after the fire-cat landed, Sesshoumaru had swept Kagome into his arms, and balanced her carefully against his chest, her head nestled against his neck. Tobiume was waiting by the door, her pouch of herbs on hand, her eyes were fearful as she took in Kagome's condition. After giving Kagome one look-over, Tobiume howled quietly in distress.

One of the servants threw open the door to Kagome's room at his approach, and Sesshoumaru nodded his head at her. He laid her on the bed, and Kagome's eyes cracked open, caked by dust, and dried blood-smears from fever-delirious movements.

"I always seem to find myself getting carried by you. I try not to make it a habit. Thank you, for everything."

"Hush, foolish woman. You should have protected yourself better." His tone was not as harsh as his words. He began untying her haori to get at her wounds, her hand weakly caught his, "Sesshoumaru, I can't feel him, I can't feel him move in me! Please help him!" She sounded so broken, his breath caught.

His eyes widened fractionally before his fingers moved rapidly to undress her, not caring for her modesty at the moment. As the last tie fell apart under his fingers, he looked upon the slash across her stomach, the stab wound in her right side, the diagonal cut across her abdomen as well, and as he pulled the kimono all the way off, he also noted the slash across her back. Add to that the numerous slash marks from large claws, and Sesshoumaru decided this woman was not supposed to even be alive right now. How was she still breathing?

"By the lady!"

He hissed, Tobiume next to him glanced over from where she was preparing a powerful healing salve and with one look, her face darkened with fury and fear. Sesshoumaru lifted the edge of the sheet to cover her chest, he left the hakama where it was, as she did not seem to have any wounds there.

Now he placed his hand over her abdomen and pressed down firmly, searching for her son. Blood welled up around his hand. After several moments of no fluttering or movement, Sesshoumaru was about to break something inside himself. Suddenly there was a small movement, as if the child had moved his arm, though weakly.

Sesshoumaru placed his ear down against her bloodied waist and listened closely, then the sound came to him as a light fluttering of many galloping feet, though the tremors were light and barely there. Tobiume shifted, and sat down at the other side, seeing that the healer was ready to begin restoring Kagome, Sesshoumaru started to get up to leave, but Kagome's voice stayed him.

"Please. Don't go." She whispered, softly. Sesshoumaru nodded his head solemnly and settled back down. Tobiume was stuffing other leaves into her own mouth and chewing them with a look of avid concentration as she mixed the salve. She passed off some leaves to him, with orders to "Chew like the devil is on to you." Sesshoumaru knew why she let the herbs soak in their saliva, the potency of their healing saliva tripled the effects of the leaves.

The herbs tasted bitter in his mouth, but it hardly mattered. He felt something grip his heart, at the sight of the young Jagera laying there so still, recalling the words from Tobiume's mouth.

"_I can count on one hand the number of female Dog-demons in this world."_

Was he about to see another leave this world? The second one in his life time?

Tobiume was already licking Kagome's wounds, and patting the sodden herbs against the rent flesh, after a time she had Sesshoumaru do some others. All of these wounds should have killed her, they were all deadly. That stab wound had come dangerously close to ending Kagome's life, as it cut right through a good portion of her liver, they could only hope it had missed her son, though the signs were not good.

As they worked, Sesshoumaru kept Tensaiga close, in case the sword would allow him to save them, either of them, but preferably both.

'_That's it! As soon as she is healed, she isn't leaving my side again.'_ Sesshoumaru thought, with cold finality. His expression was grave as he assisted his grandmother with healing Kagome's wounds. Tobiume's expression was grave as she finished with the broad slash across Kagome's stomach and the stab wound.

"Sesshoumaru, he was injured. I've healed him, but he's in shock over it, I… I don't really know if he'll make it. Can you see the Death-Imps trying to claim him at this age?"

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes as his hand found the hilt of Tensaiga, he fought to see inside Kagome's body to the life-force within.

His breath caught.

Kagome's womb was enveloped in a barely perceptible pink light. When he attempted to push his spiritual pressure against it to reach the infant's spiritual pressure, it flared up and blocked him. The child reacted by squirming around inside the shield. The child looked fine however, a faint glimmer of the pink light reflected in his own life force, and it was resonating with the shield so remarkably, it was a wonder the child moved at all. However, it was a shield fabricated by Kagome's instincts, and it would continue to tax her own ability to heal if she kept up such an impressive energy use.

He had to wake up Kagome.

"We need to wake her up, she probably doesn't realize it, but she has the child behind a shield, a miko shield."

"How can she still have her miko power? She's a full demon!"

"I'm not sure, perhaps she is just pure. She was born to be the Shikon Miko, the one to dissolve the Jewel in its entirety with her wish. The practices we did, when she managed to cut or burn me, I always assumed it was her demon energy." He reached his hands to Kagome's shoulders and shook her gently, calling to her.

"Kagome, awaken. We need you awake now." Her eyes opened, looking glazed with the pain medicines Tobiume and him had been applying so liberally. "What is it, Nii-sama?"

"You created a shield to protect your son, you need to dissolve it. Can you do that?"

"Don't know. Can try…" she said, her voice was just a whisper and her eyes closed, and she appeared to fall asleep again. Then she relaxed again in slumber, and Sesshoumaru was about to wake her again, when something snapped in her life force.

It was like a small explosion that only those with the ability to see beyond the physical realm could see. Her lifeforce, closely tied with her sons,' flared up brightly, and then began to take on a gray tinge, starting at the edge of the great twisted knot that was her node. It pulsed, and began to fray at the edges. Kagome's lips turned blue, as if to coincide with the fading color of her familiar blue and black life force cord. As it frayed, her heart beat even more slowly, and Sesshoumaru felt a very unsettling chill run down his spine.

This was the first moment in his life that he felt the true stirrings of terror.

Tobiume made a sound in her throat, and Sesshoumaru saw her Talent-fingers reaching out to the cord, to the node, and grasping the innumerable threads that fell and trying to tie them back to the node, twisting them all back into the knot that housed her life-energy.

As the descendants of the Sun-Goddess, Amaterasu, they had some dominion over life and death, and some were born with talents to manipulate those forces more easily than others. Tobiume was considered a master of her ability to bind the threads of a dying or dead person, and resurrect them, if they had not been long in dying. Tensaiga sped up that process, if it willed it. Tonight, she met her match in a true test of her character.

"Sesshoumaru, she's too much. Help me!"

Sesshoumaru reached out without being told twice, and hurriedly grasped falling threads, and wove them together, infusing and willing his own energy into the strands, to keep them alive. Then he passed the intricate braids back to Tobiume, who wove them back into the knot. With her major wounds out of danger, they had to keep her soul from sliding into oblivion. Sesshoumaru couldn't do much else, he had never worked at repairing the fraying edges, only cutting the nodes, slicing them. He was the Killing Perfection, he could not heal. Not like Tobiume could.

Remembering Kagome's wound across her back, he found something he could do. As he continued to grasp threads with Talent-fingers, he turned Kagome over onto her side, and used more of the sodden and bitter herb he still had remaining in his mouth. It had become a thick yellow paste, and was quite potent. He licked her wound, licking the blood away from her wound, and packing the steadily-growing area he had cleaned with the sticky yellow herb. The longer the herb was exposed to the air now, the stronger it would grow, and it would also dry out, and crack off when the skin healed.

With her back wound finished, Sesshoumaru grasped Kagome's hands in his, which was something Tobiume would have been amazed about, but at the moment she was rather concerned with keeping the threads together before they fell apart.

"Sesshoumaru!" She yelled, as her Talent-fingers continued to work furiously, sweat began to bead on her brow with her efforts.

"Yes, Grandmother."

"Now, Sesshoumaru! Or we're actually going to lose her!"

Sesshoumaru lifted the sword, and the blade took on the otherworldly glow of the afterlife on its edge, which at this moment looked anything but harmless in the present state. Sesshoumaru stood up, and took a deep breath, holding the sword before him. Runes began to come to life and glow, they crawled across the blade and over the metal like oil over water. Golden light lanced out to tickle the senses, so quickly, and so lightly that the viewer often wondered if he saw them at all.

As the light enveloped the blade, Sesshoumaru also began to radiate the dancing golden rays. Rays that appeared as golden, as red, as orange as the Setting Sun. His crescent flared brightly once, before his body suddenly turned as cold as ice and the light disappeared. Frost began to crawl out in an ever expanding circle on the floor around him, and his clothes turned stiff with a layer of frost.

"Good luck, Sesshoumaru." Tobiume whispered as she looked down at Kagome's peaceful face. The threads had collapsed, and by all rights Kagome was dead. But the power of Amaterasu flowed through Sesshoumaru's veins more than he would like to admit.


	6. The Bells that Bind Us

**Disclaimer: As always, I negate any right of mine to ever own this series. It can never be mine. It could never be mine. Find the Three Giants. Kill the Fourth and the First.**

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"_The only real valuable thing is intuition." _–Albert Einstein

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Chapter Six: The True Identity of Shippo

* * *

Sesshoumaru opened his eyes, and his sight met unending dismal grey. Icy water that chilled him down to the soul swirled around his feet, and his eyes darted around, seeking out his prize.

'_She can't have gotten far… She's barely dead.'_

He had approximately two minutes in the living Realm; in this one, that totaled to ten minutes; if he passed another gate of Hell, he would have another thirty minutes on top of that twenty.

A sloshing was heard, and several wet plops as something moved in the water. Sesshoumaru readied Tensaiga and narrowed his eyes, but when the figure finally broke through the deceptively calm mists, his eyes widened.

"Valgus…" His sword lowered by a fraction.

"You've grown so strong, since you banished me to this realm." A tiny mass wriggled in the dead demon's grasp, and he held it out by one leg. "Looking for this?"

A puppy dangled there, his blinking eyes were a vibrant gold color, and his energy was dark-green against darker black. Sesshoumaru hissed.

"Give him to me, Valgus."

"No. I don't think I will, young souls like this are so delicious…"

Sesshoumaru snarled, and lunged forward. He cut across Valgus' arm, and severed the tendons holding the child in his grasp. Kagome's son fell towards the swiftly-flowing ankle deep dark water, only to be caught up in Sesshoumaru's left arm before he touched the water. Sesshoumaru leaned his head down and wrapped his mouth around the back of the pups' neck, and carried him like a young dog. In the Realm of Dead, Kagome's son resembled a young white puppy. Sesshoumaru drew his head back as Valgus fought to retaliate. Sesshoumaru blocked him and with a few deft moves, he had disarmed the undead demon and was able to maneuver enough to get Valgus' back to the next gate of the Dead.

With a harsh kick, he sent Valgus flying through the gate, the water roared for a moment as it subdued the dead demon. Sesshoumaru took the mewling puppy from his mouth, and tucked him into the front of his Kimono, there the puppy fell back asleep, comforted by Sesshoumaru's energy crackling around him. As he looked up, he thought he saw a long white bobbing body in the water before disappearing.

He walked forward, his eyes alert to danger. Just then, the vision of vague nothingness faded to be replaced by looking down into the chasm of the second Gate. Abruptly he was almost thrown off his feet by the surge of water rushing behind him, and Sesshoumaru quickly steadied himself, speaking the words to open the gate. Disembodied steps appeared in the air, and Sesshoumaru stepped onto them without fear or hesitation. They disappeared behind him, and he continued his pace without worry.

Once on the bottom, he stood on a walkway of toe-deep water about a foot and a half wide that stretched across as far as the eyes could see, to either side of the narrow path were two vast pools of water of which the depth was immeasurable. It was easier to see in the Second Ring, but the bright lighting was deceptive; deep holes riddled the stone pathway through the deep seas on either side, and elusive sink holes were also abound to catch the unwary.

Sesshoumaru walked quickly through the Second Ring, the hidden traps were easily visible to him. At the edge of the Second Ring was a great waterfall of the River of the Dead moving in reverse to what physics and gravity dictated. The upward-flowing river was littered with souls as they drifted listlessly upwards, and ever closer to the Ninth Gate. The souls that were stronger fought the river, and struggled to swim back, their forms were misshapen from long exposure in the world of the dead, and the effects of the River.

More Free-Magic words of Power spilled from his lips, their burning leaving an acrid taste in his mouth as they fought their way past his lips, and a portion of the waterfall peeled away; revealing a set of stairs up to the top.

Sesshoumaru raced up the stairs, and an enormous rush of water followed him all the way up, just as the water threatened to overtake him, he leaped up, and landed down on the ledge at the top. The surge of water became a lazy trickle that washed past just below his knees, and Sesshoumaru stood on the precipice of the Third Ring.

Many souls were stuck in this Ring, some were on their feet, trudging their way slowly towards the Fourth Ring. Sesshoumaru spotted something silver in the water, bobbing gently in the eddies and pulls of the River of the Dead.

Kagome!

He lowered his sword, and withdrew the proper bells. Saraneth would do nicely. He withdrew Saraneth by the clapper and tossed it deftly in his hands to catch the handle in a downward sweep, then he swung the bell in a precise peal and its song danced across the water around him, the notes were directed by his will straight at Kagome's form. Her soul's form twitched with renewed life and purpose.

Saraneth was the Binder, it's song tied the one whom it was directed towards straight to the ringer of the bell. It tied their wills and bound them to the ringer's will. Next he withdrew Dyrim; this bell gave freedom of speech, or took it away. After another careful peal of song, Kagome's spirit relaxed somewhat, and Sesshoumaru nodded sharply at the reaction. This was normal. Most souls would be alarmed and frightened at having their will taken away, but returned freedom of speech would help ease their panic, so Kagome would not fight him.

Now, he needed to give her free-will. He put away Dyrim and went to the next largest bell, Belgaer, and the notes pealed around him. Kagome gave a gasp and sat up, her eyes whirling around wildly. She looked up at Sesshoumaru and recognized him, even though he was oddly dressed in dark blue with silver keys embroidered in the sleeves of his robes, and the bell-bandolier across his shoulder. Sesshoumaru was already putting away the bell, keeping it silent as it rebelliously tried to sound without his permission.

Sesshoumaru lunged forward, and grasped her under her arm, hauling her up in one smooth motion.

"Kagome, get up." He said, when she sagged against him. She jerked to her feet, and staggered, her body was free of wounds, and she wasn't in any pain, but she was feeling an undeniable pull to let the river pick her up, and cradle her in its long cold arms… She shivered, knowing where that River would take her, all the way to the Ninth Gate, and beyond, where she would be lost forever.

"Stay with me, Kagome; we're going to Above."

Above was the word for the Living Realm, back past the first Gate. Kagome nodded, and grasped the back of Sesshoumaru's resplendent blue robe as he started moving back the way he came. Other souls, drawn by Sesshoumaru's life, began converging on him, thinking he was an easy target laden with the two souls he was ferrying. Sesshoumaru's sword flared into life as he drew it once again, the ancient Runes lighting up and crawling over the blade.

Sesshoumaru cut down the lost souls, sending them on down the River when they fell. If they made it past the Fourth Gate, they would be truly lost and never be able to bother Sesshoumaru again. Kagome stayed close behind, her hand on her stomach. Something was bothering her, something she used to remember when she first fell into this Realm. What was it?

She racked her brains trying to remember, when her thoughts were broken by a small mewling.

"My…my son, Sesshoumaru!"

He turned, and pulled open the front of his kimono, revealing the sleeping pup. "Oh, he's safe….oh good!" She murmured, reaching her hand out towards him. Sesshoumaru caught her hand, and shook his head, "Not right now, Kagome, if you touch him now, it might send him further into death. Right now, you are dead."

They arrived back at the Third Gate, water flowing upwards in a long and steady rush, with all the momentum of a normal waterfall. Kagome clutched tighter to Sesshoumaru's haori, the water was especially strong for her, Sesshoumaru wasted no time in saying the words to open the Gate, and allow them all to pass. This time, the water parted, and a long path rose up out of the waterfall, instead of the stairs he had used earlier. Sesshoumaru walked down the long path into the Second Ring, souls were bobbing in the water below on either side of them, their faces distorted by the effects of long exposure in the River, so much so that their past lives were unidentifiable.

Sesshoumaru walked more slowly for Kagome's sake, showing her where to place her feet so she wouldn't fall into the pools on either side of her. Almost before they were fully at the Gate to the First Ring, Sesshoumaru was already saying the Free-Magic words to open the Gate, the stairs appeared just above the water, and Kagome was never so thankful to be able to step out of the water, even if it were only for a small time.

The closer they came to the world of the living, the weaker the pull of the water, and the easier it was for Kagome to resist the pull of the Dead. Her knuckles were white from clinging to Sesshoumaru's haori, she was so nervous. It wasn't so much a fear of dying, she had accepted that as a soul when she had been floating very peacefully through the first gate. It was of the other souls in the Realm in the Dead, a good number of them had been put there by her, and they would not hesitate to try and devour her for more strength to return Above.

As they stepped through the First Gate, there was a watery hiss as the water resumed its path. Sesshoumaru walked swiftly towards the veil between Above and Below, he could not see it yet, but he could feel the proximity between his body and Kagome's body. As they came to the barely tangible veil, Sesshoumaru stopped, and turned towards Kagome.

"You need to enter the veil, it's the only way to become alive again, you'll automatically return to your body, so you shouldn't have to walk to it."

"Okay,"

"Go. Now."

"Yes, Nii-sama." She stepped forward, and moved towards the veil, as she did, the water pushed against her even stronger than before, and she gritted her teeth, the water was so cold! All she wanted to do was lie down, and sleep. Let the river carry her to the deeper sleep… No! She couldn't, her son needed to be born, needed to live. She couldn't let him die just because she wanted to sleep. The River had spoken to her so gently, though, about seeing everyone again. They were all there… Past the Ninth Gate. But she couldn't, she would not! But Inuyasha…

Kagome resolutely stepped forward through the water, refusing to succumb to the pull of Death. Suddenly, the water let up on her and she was able to make it to the veil and pass through it. Sesshoumaru followed close behind her, her son tucked in his shirt.

* * *

Tobiume heard the ice cracking and shattering, and she looked up to see the frost and ice dissipating from Sesshoumaru once again. He shook himself, then looked towards Kagome. Her lifeforce was blazing with renewed life, and her son's life was also burning brightly. Healthy.

His bell-bandolier was gone, as were the dark blue robes that had appeared upon him when he entered the world of the dead.

Kagome coughed, and opened her eyes, blinking rapidly the film of death from her green-gold orbs. Her hair had turned a lighter shade of steel-gray. There was a higher metallic sheen to it than before.

Tobiume smiled at her, relieved. "Good to have you back, Kagome."

"It's good to be back, I'm really alive aren't I?"

"Yes, you are. You're safe now."

"Sesshoumaru, can I see that sword? In the Realm of the dead, it glowed, and it was covered with symbols…" Sesshoumaru lifted free the sword, and passed it over, he seated himself down on her bed to watch her. She held the sword in both hands, her eyes trailed over every inch of the blade, but could find no trace of the runes she had seen before. She grasped the hilt tightly, and closed her eyes, trying to focus on the power within the blade.

"You need to sleep now, your body needs to get used to you occupying it again. If you concentrate too much now, you'll slip the bond of life I returned to you, and you would possibly be gone for good."

"Eh?"

"You were dead for ten minutes in the Living World, you need to sleep."

"Okay… that sounds like a good plan, Sesshoumaru-sama. Thank you for saving me again." She closed her eyes, and fell asleep almost immediately. Sesshoumaru looked down at her, watching her sleep.

* * *

Kagome woke up in her room, and the world felt right. She opened her eyes, and knew Sesshoumaru was in the room, as much because her head had turned towards him in her sleep as that she could smell him, his smell was predominant in her nose while Tobiume's smell was also there, albeit weaker because she had left.

She sat up quickly, the recent events catching up to her, as Sesshoumaru's hand shot out to stop her. Her world tilted under her, and she groggily laid back down in her bed. Her hair spread out across the bed, and Sesshoumaru wondered to himself when it had become the lighter shade it was now. Perhaps as she had been battling, or before she even arrived back at the castle.

"Now, Kagome. Who did you fight to incur such injuries?"

Kagome groaned, and threw an arm across her eyes. She didn't feel like talking about this, the anger she still keenly felt at Ulquiorra was enough to make her grit her teeth. But his piercing gaze bore into her until she submitted. She looked down at her sheets, fingering the material.

"He said his name was Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra Shirayuki."

Sesshoumaru felt a chill down his spine. The Shirayuki line was powerful, almost as powerful as the Inutaicho line. She had faced the young Lord Ulquiorra Shirayuki, who was said to be half-dragon, half Pantera.

His mother was a cunning dragon princess from the mainland, China, where the dragons were revered as ultimate lords. Ulquiorra's father had won her over by unwittingly saving the crown prince from an ambush by an exiled elder brother. When the prince became emperor, he gifted Ulquiorra's father with his younger sister; already a thriving young dragonelle who had been a captain in the female-dragon fighting squads.

"Kagome, do you realize he is the crown prince of the Northern Lands? He is exceedingly dangerous… What exactly did he say?"

"He talked about various things…" She really didn't want to speak about this… Not with _him._

"Such as?" He pressed, she was trying to hide something which affected her deeply. And judging from the balling of her fists, it could be the source of her furious retaliation against the demon.

"He spoke of killing my pup in order to force my body to go into heat… so that he could mate with me." She stared down at her fisted hands on her stomach… an angry blush on her cheeks. Sesshoumaru sat back. Great. The Northern prince had declared his interest in the Western Lord's sister. Sesshoumaru broiled under the surface, feeling threatened that Ulquiorra would actually dare to take Kagome without his consent, or knowledge. The brazen fool! He should smite him, and send the boy to the Northern Lord along with a letter to rein in his son, or prepare for war for _daring_ to touch what was his.

Obviously, Kagome was not entertaining the idea in the least, by the slight fire in her eyes. She peeked up at him through her silver lashes, her green-gold eyes looked anxious. His face seemed completely devoid of everything, even to her gaze.

"Are you angry at my response?" She worried that she had made a grievous error in judgment, and that Sesshoumaru would welcome marrying off his sister in a chance to gain a strong alliance.

After all, Prince Ulquiorra was a strong opponent, with a strong blood line.

_But he was using the power of the Shikon Jewel Shards._

That, she could not condone. Nor could she forgive his statement of intentions toward her son. She lifted her head at him in defiance, her chin jutting upwards.

"I…I don't care what you will, I would not mate with that beast! I will not accept him as a mate, either, Sesshoumaru! I defeated him, no matter the condition I was in at the end. That makes him below me. To top it all off, he was using Jewel shards, six of them!"

Sesshoumaru blinked at her, "He was using shards? I thought he would be above that."

She shook her head vigorously, "No, as soon as they were gone, he fairly collapsed with exhaustion."

"Interesting… I didn't think he'd go that far."

"What do you mean?"

"He has been an acquaintance of mine, growing up we spent a lot of time at each other's estates. My own father was friends with Ulquiorra's mother. I believe the two of them thought that if Ulquiorra and I grew up together, we would become allies, and friends. And perhaps, if Lady Lien Lung Suinsei had a daughter, I would be engaged to her."

"Oh, what happened? Did a daughter occur?"

He was slow to answer, "No. It seems bloods don't mix very well between dragons and demons. Ulquiorra is a rarity, and there may not be any heirs from him. He could be a hybrid."

"I see. But, why would he be using the Sacred Jewel shards?"

"I am not sure. Perhaps he is trying to gather enough strength to become either a fully-fledged demon, or a fully-fledged dragon."

"But aren't dragons the same? Aren't they demons, too?"

"No. They certainly live for a long time, but dragons are not natural to earth. They are extraterrestrials who came to earth as scientists, and finally lost their way."

"They are…aliens?" She said, her disbelieving tone was obvious. Then her eyes widened, "If they came from somewhere else, won't more dragons come wondering what happened to the team?"

"No, they already came; they took one look at the demons of this world, and left. They have no interest in rivals."

She looked down then, "I wonder what happened to all the dragons and demons in my time, then…"

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. "Would you care to explain that thought, Kagome?"

She looked up at him, startled. "Oh! I can't believe I never told you, I come from another time. The future, actually. In my time, there are no demons or dragons, and humans pretty much rule the earth."

"Preposterous…" He could not believe what he was hearing.

"I think along the same lines, except that in the days I've been on the other side of the well, I have never once felt any demonic pull or aura. Anyways, I already explained to my mother that I would not be coming back to live in my time and if I was still alive in the future, I would meet with her and the family. She wants to meet her grandkids, after all…"

She trailed off suddenly, a faint red coloring her pale cheeks as she stared back down at the blanket. "Ugh…she won't be happy with just one, either. Damn mothers…" Kagome reached her hand to the back of her head and scratched it in embarrassment, the blush had deepened.

"I see." Is all he replied with, he felt an understanding in her last statement. Parents wanting grand children, assurances that the family line would indeed continue and pressuring their eligible children to find spouses and procreate.

Though the whole incident was still embarrassing, no matter who your parent was.

They both looked away then, finding areas of the room to be suddenly interesting.

"If you would excuse me, Kagome. See to it that you get some rest, I'll send dinner later." Sesshoumaru stood up and left the room. His robes swishing in the wind of his passage.

* * *

Sesshoumaru knocked on the door, and heard a gruff welcome. He entered the room, and sat in front of the old demon quietly drying her herbs and grinding them into salves and ointments. After a small time of losing himself in thought, he broke his gaze from her work in front of him and spoke.

"She will recover relatively soon."

"In about a month's time, yes." She replied, a soft smile on her face.

"When the pup is born, she will go into heat soon after the mating mark fades away completely." He growled, his frustration barely perceptible. But Tobiume was his grandmother, and she read him like an open book.

"You fear she would not accept you, should you make your claim."

"She is my sister." He looked at her, a strange look gleaming in his eyes.

"By adoption." She countered. "It wouldn't be the first time siblings mated to preserve the blood line, to keep it pure. In fact, in some demon families only siblings can mate. You are aware of this; you know it well. It is the tradition of the Southern Lands that the eldest son takes his sister to mate."

"There is still the matter of her accepting me."

"Why are you denying yourself happiness? Was it because of what happened to your mother, if so, end that. You are not responsible for what happened. Kagome would not be completely adverse to becoming your bride. The girl already adores you, she holds you in such high esteem. She trusts you completely, to boot. You could do much worse. It is a small matter, just trust your instincts, and you'll be fine."

Sesshoumaru remained silent for a time, as his thoughts drifted back to the infant he had seen in Kagome's arms in his dreams lately. The crescent moon on its brow making him believe he was seeing himself as an infant in the arms of his mother. The way those pure golden eyes opened up and looked right at him, and Kagome's smiling face. He knew that wasn't his mother; he had not known of another dog demon in history to have those strange green-gold eyes like hers. A vestige from her human life.

"You're thinking again, yet you look so full of longing. You really came close to losing that pup, huh? "

Sesshoumaru shot her an icy look, but she just laughed under her breath.

"Don't get defensive; I was scared, too. There will be others, if you will it. If you take that chance to make her yours. The real question is, can you afford to let her fall into the arms of another? I think it might be time you told her the truth, anyways, about her son and what exactly happened to it during the Adoption Ceremony."

Sesshoumaru stood up, his eyes showed a faint glimmer in their amber depths. He bowed his head to her, a modest sign of acknowledgement, before leaving without another word.

* * *

Was Tobiume right? In his head, it was the most logical thing to do; to take his brother's dead mate as his own, and make her his bride. To secure the future for his line. And… something twisted in him savagely at the thought of Kagome falling into another male's grasp. He could not bear the thought of her going to someone else. In his mind, he howled a savage cry of triumph at her retaliation to Ulquiorra's declaration of intention.

If this worked; within ten to fifteen years, he could be a father… the halls of this castle would echo with children's laughter.

As if reading his thoughts, laughter echoed up from the guest-wing. It was high-pitched, squealing laughter. Curious, he walked down the corridors to find the noise coming from Rin's room. She had not really made an appearance since the fox kit had arrived more than a month ago.

He opened the door to find them playing together in the playroom he had converted for Rin. They had built a massive fort amid the toy wooden blocks, and inside the fort he found them cheerfully coloring and painting pictures on a blank sheet of parchment.

Trees, leaves, flowers, and all manner of animals were depicted in their childish scrawl. He heard a faint purr and turned his head to find the fire-cat laying on a cushion in front of the fireplace.

"Lord Sesshoumaru!"Rin cried enthusiastically, she jumped up and crawled out of the fort and promptly attached herself to his leg. The fox kit also climbed out, but stood a small distance away.

"What is your name, kit."

"Shippo, Sesshoumaru-sama. I am Kagome's nakama."

There was something oddly familiar about the kit, something he should recognize but couldn't. Wasn't there something in a report several decades ago about the Eastern Lands' Lord losing his son in a terrible storm? Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at the child, and kneeled down. Carefully, he reached a hand out, and brushed back the child's bangs. Shippo's hand came up,

"Please, don't! I'm not supposed to let people touch my forehead!"

He tried to jump away, but Sesshoumaru caught him by the back of his shirt and pinned him with one hand while the other hand brushed back the boy's hair, and scrubbed off the skin-tone dye on his forehead to reveal a green oak-leaf mark. Sesshoumaru's eyes widened, it had just been a hunch. He didn't think he was actually going to reveal anything.

He caught the boy's wrists and wiped the dye off to reveal forest green stripes, then he dropped the child. His eyes held a large measure of surprise at this turn of events.

He, Lord Sesshoumaru of the Western Lands had just uncovered the crown prince of the Eastern Lands, Prince Hikaru Temoiya of the Eastern Lands.

"Do you know who you are…Shippo?" After all, anything could have happened to the child on that night he disappeared, he could very well have amnesia.

"Yes. Of course I do! I am the son of a fox demon by the name of Vraellan Faolyn, who was killed by Hiten and Manten; the Thunder Brothers!"

Sesshoumaru shook his head, "Your markings say otherwise, Hikaru." So the child did have amnesia. Damn it all.

"I…I don't know what you're talking about…" Shippo said, his eyes wavering and becoming uncertain, "mum and dad always said I was their special little boy. They always took care of me, as long as I could remember."

"And how far back do you remember, Hikaru?"

"I…I'm not sure. I am still young, after all…"

"Hikaru, you should be able to remember the day you were born. Even I remember the day I was born."

The child looked frightened now, and his eyes became wet with unshed tears.

"I don't remember! I don't remember my past very well, okay! But my parents took care of me, they protected me!"

"I will take you before the council," He paused, "Your father has been looking for you, kit. He has been very distraught with you missing."

The child was beginning to be extremely distressed now. Sesshoumaru cut him a break after a time. "Also, Kagome would like some company, she arrived late last night, and is recovering from her recent adventure. Go to her."

With that, the children cried out in delight and ran out the door before the swishing of his robes form the wind of their passage had faded. Shippo, or rather Hikaru, looking relieved to be getting off the subject of his parentage.

He shook his head and left the room, returning back to his study to catch up on his work. Paperwork. He would also have to summon a council of the other Cardinal Lords of the East, South, and North. His lip curled, the Northern Lord was not high on the list of people he wanted to behave civilly towards with the recent event concerning Kagome. He needed to get his trade ledgers in order, as well as the tithes due to him as the ruler of the Western Lands.

There were reports to read on harvests brought in from around the countryside, others were reports from his various squad captains of different skirmishes and attacks on villages that had been subverted and the adversaries eliminated. Other dispatches told of casualties of the different squads and requests to seek out replacements. This, he was reluctant to give his signature; as the military head, he would rather seek out potential replacements himself. He had always had an alert and critical eye for perfection and attention to detail.

But a commander must place some trust in his subordinates. He signed his approval and placed it in the complete stack that he had been adding to rapidly.

Next, he had to go through the trade ledgers; these reports he rather liked, numbers were a delight to his mind. Adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing; it always somewhat pleased him to see how numbers would change given what he did, though he didn't care much for reading the boring reports and various other sheets of parchment that needed to be read. Voices caught his sensitive ears, though he couldn't make out the words, he looked up out of his window to see Kagome walking slowly, dressed in the dark blue kimono she had been adopted in. Her dark steel-gray hair was unbound and seemed to float on the breeze.

She was holding hands with Rin and Prince Hikaru as they led her out into the garden. They were smiling up at her, and her expression was gentle and kind.

After reaching the tree, Kagome settled herself down at the base and the children scattered in different directions to play in the snow on the ground. Kagome watched them, her hair settling around her gently. The children would clamor about in the snow for a few moments then run back carrying their creations for her to see.

'_She really is quite pretty.'_ He thought, his gaze on her was locked, it was as if the entire world fell away for him, and only her remained. All he saw was her, just her. Her smiling green-gold eyes, her alabaster skin, with her steel-gray hair was lovely to behold. Abruptly, he blinked.

She was looked right at him, a curious expression on her face that was absolutely guileless. She wasn't like the other wretched females who sought to be his mate, who sought to climb into his bed. She was nothing like the daughters and females the other Cardinal Lords tried to press on him to mate with; she didn't flirt, or fawn over him. She treated him with respect, but she also treated him as a person. She smiled at him, and though the woman smiled at everyone, she had this special smile that seemed just for him. The way her eyes twinkled, and the way her lips curled in that careful tugging upwards at the corners; she didn't smile at the others like that.

That was his smile.

Sesshoumaru met her gaze for a time, unashamed, as if to say "yes, I was watching you. What are you going to do about it?"

* * *

So, Shippo's true identity has been revealed, how will this bode for Kagome and her adoptive son?


	7. The Heart that Calls Us

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. You hear me? Nothing!**

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"_Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, and half shut afterwards."_ –Benjamin Franklin

* * *

Chapter Seven: Intentions

* * *

Days passed and Kagome recovered rapidly, much to Tobiume's relief. Sesshoumaru was even more pleased to see her recovering so nicely; it meant that she would go traveling again soon, and when she did, he would go with her. Winter was finally letting up, giving way to more mild weather and the onset of spring, which would likely arrive within a few weeks.

After all, there were several things he needed to take care of. Such as, he needed to attend the council in the Central Courts that he had summoned together, and that meant bringing Shippo with him. There was also the matter of Prince Ulquiorra having been found using Shards of the Jewel, and that probably wouldn't end well.

Spring had started to rear its head and wake up the slumbering world. To make matters for the Lord of the Western lands worse, the world had found out about Kagome as his sister and offers had come for her by young princes and lords looking for matches for their sons.

Sesshoumaru had been able to filter many of the letters before they reached her, in a vain attempt to keep her from panicking, but eventually, a personal dignitary of the Northern Lands had arrived. They were of the Panther tribe, and had quickly bypassed Sesshoumaru himself, they had gone straight to Kagome standing further behind him. She had been drawn to his side by the agitated fluctuations of his spiritual pressure, and now the panther demon crouched in front of her, his black hair hung in a queue down his back. With something akin to fear, he offered her the scroll sealed with green wax.

Perplexed, Kagome accepted it while throwing an askance look Sesshoumaru's way as he glared down at the demon at her feet and at the scroll as if it were a viper.

Kagome opened the letter and Sesshoumaru's eyes locked onto her face to read her reaction. Her eyes scanned the first few lines then darted to the bottom to read the signature. Abruptly fear, anger, and dislike flashed across her face so fast Sesshoumaru almost believed he hadn't seen it.

"I refuse." She said, looking at the crouching panther and handing the scroll back. Sesshoumaru felt relief wash over him, she had handled that well. He relaxed then.

"Milady, he did not realize at the time that you were the princess of the Western Lands! Please reconsider!"

"Bullshit! He was fully aware of my identity. It was never in question!"

"Milady, please!" The demon was groveling now, his hands clutching the scroll with fervor.

"Well, that's his problem now isn't it?" She replied icily.

"Leave." She said in a tone that could rival that of Sesshoumaru at his coldest.

The panther hesitated, but in the presence of so many other Dog-demons, along with both the Lord of the Western Lands and his sister, he turned and hurriedly left.

In the sudden silent solitude, Sesshoumaru turned to Kagome.

"More will come, I am sorry for that. I tried to keep you out of the palace before the dignitaries of the other Cardinal Lords arrived. I had tried to keep them from you, I did not think you were ready for this side of your responsibility as a Princess of the Western Lands. I did want to keep you from the other Cardinal Lords, forgive this Sesshoumaru, I have been jealous of your presence."

"This was not your fault, it was bound to happen eventually. Sesshoumaru, don't worry. I have no interest in them." She said, tiredly after her anger faded. Something struck him on the way she worded that. _"I have no interest in them."_

"I also wanted to keep you away from them for personal reasons, you have become someone precious to me, and I will not stand to give you up." With that, he turned away and left down the hall in his measured gait.

Kagome stared at his retreating back, she had always kind of known he was fond of her, he was always protecting her, and taking such good care of her and taking great pains to see she didn't come to harm. But he had just declared she was someone precious to him, that he was jealous of the other lords learning about her. But it still knocked her breath away to hear him actually say that.

He had left her then, and retreated to his office to work on some more reports.

* * *

He finished writing out his report and sealed it, tucking it away safely into his kimono. He withdrew a studied number of marks for an allowance for the journey to the Central Courts. It was a court of law as well as a central place of trade and exchange. It was a meeting place on neutral grounds for all the Cardinal Lords to be able to attend. There would be demons from all over Japan, as well as some foreigners from the mainland.

That finished, he entered the old armory store room just off the dojo he and Kagome frequented and found a suit of armor similar to his own. After Kagome's recent fiasco, he could not let her go about with just that fire-rat haori any longer. She would wear a proper set of armor now.

She was too precious to him.

The armor was enameled a deep forest-green, it had leather shoulders layered with steel rings, mail, leather, and dyed dark-green. The torso would be protected by black steel mesh strong enough to turn any blade, and a massive demon-bone breast-plate to help shield her against projectiles.

Sesshoumaru thought it would look quite fetching on her. It would match her eyes nicely. Though that was not his original intent, his only concern was making sure she wore the best form of protection he could offer her. This was definitely adequate, made from the same steel and bone fragments as his own armor. Mostly the same style, too.

He took the demon-silk sash off the hook next to it, and carried the armor out of the room to Kagome's room. He knocked once, and at her muffled "Come in," he entered the room. She was getting ready, tying off the last tie of her red fire-rat robe.

"Leave that, and put this on, instead. Such armor is no longer adequate for you." He said, laying out the armor on her futon.

"Oh, but it's still quite cold outside, can't I wear the armor over it?" She said, frowning and looking down at her outfit appraisingly.

"No, this demon-silk undergarment will keep you plenty warm. Do you need help?" She huffed, but relented and dropped out of the fire-rat robe without any more of a fuss. She stood in her under-kimono of heavy demon-silk weave.

"Hm, yes. I've never put something like that on before…"

Sesshoumaru picked up the first article, and turned to her. "Alright, this first."

Kagome took the heavy black mesh mail from him and grunted at the unexpected lightness of the metal; sure it was heavy but it wasn't as heavy as she expected. "Are you sure this is effective? Your armor always seemed so heavy…"

"Put it on, Kagome, this is demon-forged. Our metals are always pure and effective." He sighed.

She shrugged it on, and tugged it into place, Sesshoumaru stepped forward, and helped adjust the sleeves on her arms, and relieved the tension in other places. Next, Sesshoumaru handed her a sleeveless outer fighting-kimono dyed a dark-green. Kagome quickly belted that on, and pulled on the hakamas that went with it. Neither made any mention of the fact that his hand seemed to linger just a fraction longer than necessary.

Sesshoumaru then settled the bone breastplate over her shoulders and buckled it on securely. Kagome after a short period of time, just stood still and allowed him to work.

After he settled on the enameled shoulders into place and finished the ensemble, he taught her to loop and tie it all into place the proper way, and made Kagome repeat the process three more times until she could execute the movement perfectly.

Kagome was entranced by the sash, it was dark green with wavy golden patterns along the ends.

Kagome moved forward and was surprised to feel only slightly weighed down by the weight of the armor. She whistled softly, "Thank you, Sesshoumaru! This is amazing!" She said, bubbling with excitement.

She knew she would be traveling with him this time, and so it was obvious to her that he was not going to expose her, or leave her alone again. She was grateful for the company. Even if it meant she could no longer move at her own pace, and have the freedom of being truly wild across the lands.

She was determined to make the best of it, though. She would not be annoyed with it, would try not to be anyways. This time, he was taking her to the Central Courts, and he was bringing Shippo, as well. For some strange reason. It probably had to do with the leaf mark she noticed on his forehead, though the child had tried to hide it behind some skin-toned dye when he had come to visit her when she was recovering. It had been hastily prepared and applied.

Sesshoumaru nodded his head, and he led her to the dojo. Though they were to leave tomorrow, it was better to get her dressed now, because he would be training her all day today in the dojo so that she would get used to the weight and feel of the armor. It would not do to have her become clumsy with inexperience during a battle.

They trained in full battle regalia for several hours, and when Kagome lay panting and defeated on the floor of the dojo, Sesshoumaru standing over her, something snapped in Kagome's eyes. Her form surged upwards, as she rolled over into a crouch. She shifted into her true dog-demon form and growled her defiance. The dojo had plenty of room for the two of them in their true forms, and Sesshoumaru did not hesitate to shift also.

She was slightly smaller than he was, he was pleased to see. But she definitely looked more wolf-like in her appearance, her ears were triangular and erect on her head, and her eyes were slanted like so many large wolves. She looked wondrous to behold. Goodness, his own mother didn't appear that wolf-like. He wondered how she could possibly have an appearance like that. But no matter, she lunged at him, and her jaws aimed for his throat.

He dodged, spinning on one foot as he turned and prepared a forward strike with the other foreleg. It felt good having his arm back, he was once again complete, and whole. By unspoken agreement, they kept their claws sheathed. Only striking with the paw, but it still did damage and left bruises. Tiring them out as their bodies drew on more of their energy to heal rapidly during combat.

After Kagome was again defeated for the last time, she shifted back to her humanoid shape, and Sesshoumaru followed suit. It had been a close victory, and they were both lying on the floor. Sesshoumaru still had his arm outstretched across her neck, and he rested his head on the mats that covered the floor, his gaze never leaving Kagome's eyes as she stared back at him just as steadily while she panted breathlessly.

He was also winded, and worked to get his own breathing under control. She was catching up to him so quickly. He had had centuries to develop his own skill, with his mother teaching him, and Kagome was mastering her training far more quickly than he ever could have. She was watching his movements, and mimicking them to an eerie exactness that stunned him, and then adapting every movement for use with her glaive. It took all of his brilliance and tactical knowledge to develop his own strategies to counter her relentless assaults.

Her work with the kata techniques were also improving, as earlier that day, he had been drilling her in its use. She was more compliant, as she knew she needed to master both of her weapons now.

His forehead and hers were almost touching, as they gathered their breath back. And then, it happened. Their eyes met once again and focused. Sesshoumaru didn't know the exact time when their eyes had met, it had been some seconds after they both fell over, and shifted to their human forms. Their eyes had never fallen away from each other.

On impulse, Sesshoumaru shifted and leaned down, placing his lips against hers. Kagome's eyes widened a moment, and she struggled for a brief time before relaxing into his kiss and returning it, her eyes sliding closed and his eyes slid closed soon afterwards. Kagome jutted her chin forward to press her lips more firmly against his. Sesshoumaru growled, and his grip across her shoulders tightened.

Her hands came up and caught his haori, and she fisted her hands in it. Her blood roared in her ears, he was so close now. Part of her felt somewhat detached, unable to stop herself against the feelings she felt right now. She liked it, she liked his lips against hers, and the feel of his body pressing her down. She was so confused, _'what?..._'

After what felt like eternity, he drew away and sat up. Kagome lay there, stunned, slowly, she brought her hand up to her lips to feel them. Her ears still ringing with her blood surging through her body. From what he did… You just don't kiss your sister like that.

"Kagome…"

"Why… did you do that, Sesshoumaru?"

He said instead, "Do not put your life in jeopardy like that again. I will not tolerate it should you fail to protect yourself."

Kagome smiled, he was worried. He had been genuinely worried for her sake, some part of her always knew it, but to hear him actually say the words in his eyes that she always saw, it felt nice.

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama."

His eyes cut into her as he glanced over his shoulder to look at her, catching her humor hidden in her words. She was smiling at him with her eyes, her dark steel-gray hair had pulled free from its braid, and now hung about her shoulders and down her back in wavy strands that glinted in the dim light of the dojo.

"You know I intend to claim you."

"Yes, I have gathered that. I guess you're only waiting until my son is born to properly claim me, is that so?"

He narrowed his eyes, "Yes."

She nodded her head, meanwhile gears were turning in her mind. "I see."

'_What do I feel for him? I don't think I love him. Not yet, I still love Inuyasha. I can't let him claim me. That much is obvious, I'll have to escape before it happens. Before he can claim me, and marry me.'_

His thoughts turned back to the final battle, when he had witnessed Inuyasha's death.

The battle had turned badly after that, Rin had been attacked in those precious moments during the battle, and he had to rescue her from the Naraku's clutches. He had taken her all the way to where Jaken was standing with Ah Un, and he had ordered Jaken to take Rin away.

Then he had turned around and saw all hell had come loose in those seconds it had taken him to bring Rin to safety, he had seen Inuyasha take the brunt of an attack meant for Kagome as she fought to break past the barrier to Naraku's heart, where the Shikon Jewel hovered invitingly. He had seen how dangerous the wound had been, and saw a bit of the life leave Inuyasha's eyes. But the look he had as he gazed down at Kagome, even as Inuyasha turned and fell was enough to make his breath catch.

Such devotion, such sorrow, as Inuyasha knew this wound would take him from Kagome, he was still glad that it was he who died, and not her.

As Sesshoumaru gazed upon Kagome now, he knew now how Inuyasha, his idiotic half-brother, could hold affections for the girl. This woman was so thoughtful, so loving and pure. Even as a human, she had been such a remarkable woman. She was such a wonder. Surely even the son of his half-brother would be precious beyond measure, with her as his mother.

"Sesshoumaru…there's been something I've been meaning to ask you."

"Hai. What is it?"

"How come the Ritual of Demon Adoption was able to work for me? How come you couldn't use it on Inuyasha, and allow him to become fully demon, like he wanted?"

"Your blood has to be completely pure in order to survive it. You must have no traces of demon blood in your veins in order to become fully demon and as a side effect, adopt the characteristics of the one who adopts you. For some whose spirits are especially strong, certain characteristics carry over from their human life."

"Really… So I'm spiritually strong?" she couldn't resist asking as she thought about her gold-flecked green eyes, and her steel-gray hair that should have been white, had she been an empty slate.

He looked over his shoulder at her dryly, "yes, of course. You are the Shikon Miko."

She grinned up at him, "You said it."

"What?"

"You called me special, you think I'm special!"

"This Sesshoumaru has always viewed you as something greater than how you appear. Even as a human, from the first time I met you."

Kagome froze, her eyes going wide at Sesshoumaru's words. Sesshoumaru also seemed to realize what he had just said, for he was looking at Kagome aghast.

"Oh…" She replied meekly.

"This Sesshoumaru is only stating the truth, I saw your power before you ever dreamed it. I always knew you were something not to be trifled with, or tarnished. With Megasuhei's death, the beginnings of your true power began to unfold. Let me tell you this, you were truly never meant to be human."

"Why is that? I was born human."

"Your name is Kagome, correct? Kagome Higurashi."

"Yes, that is my name. That is my human name."

"Kagome. A bird in a cage. Your human body was but a vessel for your power sleeping within. Also, it housed a power that would only answer and awaken at the hands of a certain house. Your surname gave me that answer. Higurashi. Sunset, as the sun sets in the West, it was clearly telling me that you shall always return to me, and to the lands of the Western Lord. The Western Lands is where you belong, Kagome."

Kagome sat up, and looked down at her hands. "This…actually makes sense."

She looked back up at him, "so you're telling me I was meant to receive the Ritual of Adoption, and become an Inu-Youkai, as your sister?"

"That is correct, you are the one my father meant for me to find. You and I were fated to meet, and to join together. It was an unfortunate coincidence that you should have met my brother first, as I was already in the area, and finding your scent to be particularly unusual. I was investigating you anyways, but you saw me as a creature to fear and that was wise, because to be honest, I was not ready to be amicable to humans." Sesshoumaru replied, as he looked away. She fell in love with his brother, and carried his child.

"Hey, if I am your sister, how can we possibly be allowed to mate?"

"That is a simple matter…" That statement had her blushing again.

"But, what I mean to say is, aren't we siblings?"

"Yes. That's right, we aren't human. Shed these ideals of yours, Kagome."

"But that's how animals act…"

He raised one eyebrow at her and she blushed furiously, "Yes, of course; we're Inu-youkai. We aren't human." There was another pause, as they sat in companionable silence before Kagome spoke up again.

"Hey, Sesshoumaru… Youkai usually mate for life, do they not?"

"That is correct."

"Well, if we as youkai mate for life, we should genuinely care for the person, right? It wouldn't be right to just take a mate, and then leave them when we got tired of them… I don't think that should be how it works, if it was like that, I would have never taken a mate."

Sesshoumaru glanced back at her, his eyes reflecting his thoughts on the matter. He felt a profound relief that Kagome and himself could be in accord together over such things.

"That has always been my thought on the matter. My father took my mother for a mate, but they could hardly stand each other. I resolved to never take a mate, unless I was ready to devote myself to them, and do it genuinely."

Kagome frowned at those words, though he didn't see it. Really, it filled her with slight alarm. She wasn't ready to tie her life down again. She needed time to sort out her own feelings, before she could learn to reciprocate others. His words filled her dread. She needed to try to change his mind for now, and she would have to work quickly.

She thought back on the Shikon Jewel: there were eight shards left, and she was running out of places in which to look. When this whole debacle with Ulquiorra was done, and whatever matter with Shippo was finished, it might be time to disappear for awhile.

Totosai was overdue for a visit from her. She couldn't depend on just her own skill anymore, she needed a weapon that could match her as well.

"What happened to your mother? Did she die?"

"No, she left soon after my father died. She feels closer to Amaterasu if she remains up in the skies. So she lives there."

Kagome looked puzzled. "She _lives_ in the sky?"

"Hai, she has a portal in the sky only she can open. It leads to her domain there. She cares for humans even less than I do."

"Wow, sounds like a real social princess. Is she nice? Was she nice to you at least?"

"She saved Rin's life after she died the second time, and Tensaiga was unable to save her."

"But I thought you said she hated humans…why did she save Rin?"

Sesshoumaru went silent for a time, and after awhile, Kagome thought he might have drifted off in thought.

"She still cares for me." He said at length, the distant expression in his eyes told him his own deep and hidden tenderness for his mother.

"Ah, that's good."

"Yes, I guess it is."

Sesshoumaru stood up after a time, and turned to face Kagome, offering her his hand which she accepted. Their armor chinked as they moved.

"We leave tomorrow."

Kagome's eyes glimmered with excitement, though her body plainly wanted to rest.

* * *

Her found her in the stables the next morning, where he predicted she'd run to. Standing in the stall of the tall blood-bay stallion she had picked up in her travels. Personally, he had never seen a stallion so big as to rival the height of a demon such as he. If he hadn't smelled the stallion himself, he would have thought the horse was part demon.

Kagome had just finished tightening the girth of the saddle one last time and patted his glossy neck. Sesshoumaru hadn't seen what Kagome had found in that horse when he had just arrived at the palace looking starved and sickly. But towards the end of winter, and now early spring, Rukaze had filled out; his ribs disappeared under the thick and soft winter coat and the ever-thickening layer of fat and muscle from consistent feedings of high quality grains. Now the stallion looked like a son of the horse god, Poseidon himself, from Greek mythology. His confirmation was perfect and his balance impeccable.

Kagome had surely found quite a jewel in her travels, both figuratively and literally.

As her green-eyed gaze turned toward him, showing surprise at his being there, Sesshoumaru blinked and tried to push away how regal and natural Kagome looked there, standing by the large red stallion in her heavy dark-green armor, her steel-gray hair falling down to her lower-back. The sun's rays made her seem to glow with radiant light.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes, Rukaze is coming with me; he's healthier now and is fit for travel." She said with a light smile.

"We could travel just as swiftly on foot."

"Yet you still have Ah-Un ready." she retorted. Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It was true, the dracon was waiting patiently outside in the courtyard.

"Fine, if he can keep up; I will allow him to stay with us."

She grinned at her victory over him for a moment, then turned and hugged Rukaze. Suddenly, her body twisted and her foot caught the stallion's back; hooking over the cantle of the saddle, she quickly eased herself into the saddle.

He didn't see her hands move, not even a twitch, but the horse turned his great head and walked out of the stall as if obeying her by her will alone.

Sesshoumaru walked with him, Kagome's ankle temptingly close to his elbow, he resisted the urge to grasp her leg, just to feel the smoothness of her skin. Yet he did not; he needed to maintain his air of indifference, of control of himself. Never mind that in the days since she had been back at the palace, all that could be smelled on her was his scent, and to a smaller degree Shippo, or rather, Hikaru.

She was perfectly healthy now, her body having finished recovering from her injuries and her brief dalliance with death.

Shippo waited at the entrance to the stables, he was watching Sesshoumaru speculatively. As Kagome passed on Rukaze, the impish young fox vaulted up behind her, and placed an easy hand on her shoulder, as he crouched on the back of the saddle.

Sesshoumaru said nothing of the arrangement, it kept the kit out of his hair. He collected Ah-Un at the courtyard and they set off, Rin saw them safely on the road from the protective confines of one of the Dog-Demons, the knots on his left shoulder denoted him a First Sergeant, Sesshoumaru recalled his name to be Zhimkah. He was a respectable Dog-demon, never unduly cruel, and he took his job very seriously, no matter what his task was.

Rin would be plenty safe in his care, the young lad had been in Sesshoumaru's employ for close to fifty years. He was very big for a dog demon, quite muscular and very tall, with a thick barrel chest, and a thick black coat of fur growing over his body. Zhimkah had interested Sesshoumaru long ago, as a young dog-demon, he had an uncanny ability to bend the elements to his will. Able to call forth energy spikes to fling at his enemies, while he fought without any incantation needed.

It was peculiar.

It was not demon-magic, where the words left a thick taste in the mouth, and a sulfuric smell to the air. It was elemental magic. Zhimkah might have once been from a family line of noble lords, minor ones at least, because he was also able to maintain a true form as a massive black dog. His thick and shaggy coat providing a dense armor.

The elemental magic really caught Sesshoumaru's attention, because of the scent of its origins. It seemed to come from the Earth itself, as if the very world gifted Zhimkah with its powers. Despite being a caster, Zhimkah was also an excellent melee master; able to use maces, daggers, and many varieties of fist weapons to maximum and deadly effect.

Sesshoumaru had trained that one himself, and had completed his training some fifteen years ago. Now Zhimkah trained recruits and conscripts, and did minor body-guarding jobs.

Unlike many other dog demons, Zhimkah carried a half-humanoid shape. He stood upright, his feet ending in large paws, his hands were human-looking enough, with long claws, his body melded into an elegant dog shape from nose-tip to tail-tip, a fine layer of fur coving his skin. His head resembled that of a wolfish dog. With triangular ears that stood erect on top of his head, and a long snout.

Watching Zhimkah fight was somewhat beautiful in of itself, he could move fluidly across the dueling ring, weapons flashing, his body moving like a wisp of smoke. Then stranger still, he would follow up that final deadly stab with an energy shock of fire, followed by another energy lash of magma that formed in his fistful of dirt, and fed off of the surrounding energy.

Sesshoumaru nodded to Zhimkah, and Zhimkah replied with a deep bow and a light twinkle in his eye, then placing a protective hand on Rin's shoulder. The girl was not afraid, she turned her head and smiled up at the ferocious-looking dog-demon. The demon's eyes softened as he looked down at the girl, and Kilala stood with her tails curled around Rin's leg. Yes, she was in safe hands indeed.

* * *

There you have it. The end of Chapter Seven, now my character has finally been unveiled. I wonder if you can guess who it is. Probably, you readers are all such clever people. I take pride in this fiction, it's become my favorite. I enjoy reading it myself as much as I enjoy writing it, and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do.


	8. The Son that Binds Us

**Disclaimer: As before, I own nothing. Nothing!**

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**_"**Life is the future, not the past.**"_**_ -_**_The past can teach us, through experience, how to accomplish things in the future, comfort us with cherished memories, and provide the foundation of what has already been accomplished. But only the future holds life. To live in the past is to embrace what is dead. To live life to its fullest, each day must be created anew. As rational, thinking beings, we must use our intellect, not a blind devotion to what has come before, to make rational choices._

_-Terry Goodkind, Pillars of creation: Chapter 60, Page 549  
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_**Chapter Eight: The Son

* * *

Once out of the confines of the Palace of the west, Rukaze arched his neck and stepped into a gracefully smooth trot eagerly. Kagome laughed and started posting in the saddle, encouraging Rukaze to try out his paces. Sesshoumaru lengthened his strides to match Rukaze, and the stallion rumbled at the tall demon.

Rukaze knew better than to challenge the demon; he could smell a superior being when he saw it. Sesshoumaru was the element of perfection.

The horse just wanted to play, and welcomed anyone to join him.

Ah-Un groaned at being made to move more quickly, but at Sesshoumaru's sharp look the half-dragon settled down into a ground eating stride reminiscent of something between a horses' trot and a dragon's dragon-dash.

Hikaru laughed ecstatically from his position on the horse, he was standing upright now, one hand holding on to Kagome's shoulder, and the other hand high in the air, feeling the wind currents of their passing.

Sesshoumaru privately envied the boy his position. He'd almost give up his pride to be able to touch Kagome so familiarly. Almost. He could only allow himself to relax in her company when they were alone completely. If she were to become his Lady, she would need to be trained to complete the tasks that were expected of her, and help him in matters of state. He had already decided that she would be his partner in power, and in everything she would be his equal. As a Jagera, he could do no less.

She would be training his future pups.

* * *

They travelled quickly, covering fifteen kilometers a day. After one week of travel, Kagome had been hard put to find a spring in which to wash. "Just because I travel with boys doesn't mean I have to smell like them, too!" She would grumble quietly as she tried her best to scout out a source of water.

Because Hikaru/Shippo was the youngest and least battle-worthy, they always left at least either Kagome or Sesshoumaru near the camp to make sure no harm came to him, especially as he was a royal charge, being the son of the Eastern Lord. Sesshoumaru and Kagome spent nights training the kit, Kagome loaning her long knife for the child to use for defense.

Kagome got her lucky break after the tenth day of travel, the Central Courts were about four days away, and she was anxious to be clean. She spent a good part of her time that evening scrubbing down her body with the cleansing sand Sesshoumaru had brought along with Ah-Un.

She just had to figure out where he got this cleansing sand, it always smelled refreshing; a bit like sage and green tea. And she also discovered it's ulterior reason for being Sesshoumaru's choice of cleansing soap. It did not mask her scent per say, but it made it smell like it was days old when she was simply standing right there. She wasn't sure how that happened herself, but it worked. And she liked it quite a bit.

After her bath, she dried off in her under-kimono, her hair was carefully wrung out. She straightened up from her bent over position, and felt Sesshoumaru's presence a second too late as he entered the clearing.

"You should really be careful doing that, Sesshoumaru-niisama. I wouldn't like to let you walking in on me undressed."

He stepped closer to her until they barely had one foot of distance between themselves.

"Oh? I tracked your movements, Kagome. I knew you were out of the water, and I gave you a sufficient amount of time until you were dressed ."

"Well, that's still inappropriate. What if I hadn't been dressed?" Kagome settled the items back into a neat stack, the water-proof sack full of cleansing sand next to her bottles of shampoo and conditioner.

"Then I would have seen you naked, I suppose. Pity." He deadpanned. Kagome fought back the blush staining her cheeks, his gaze on her was intense. She unraveled her hair from the towel and shook her head.

With her damp hair freed to the air, Sesshoumaru's nostrils flared, and his eyes widened fractionally. Her scent hit his nose with renewed vigor, and before he realized it, he was standing right in front of her. He caught her hand before she could jump away, and caught her lips with his in a kiss. Kagome tried to tug her hand out of his grasp as she tried to back off and hit him, so she brought up her other hand to hit him with.

Sesshoumaru tilted his head to the side slightly, and deepened the kiss. His lips moving sensuously against hers. Kagome's hand fell against his chest and rested there, before she melted against him. She didn't know why, but his kisses were intense and no matter how badly she thought to fight against him, she always ended up succumbing to him anyways. His arm came around and rested against the small of her back, trapping her against him effectively.

'Damn,' Sesshoumaru thought furiously, 'if this keeps up she won't last till her son is born, I have the thought to reassert my claim on her right now.'

Kagome gasped when her back pressed against a large boulder on the edge of the hot spring. It was warm due to its close resting place of being near the spring itself. Sesshoumaru pressed himself against her, his hands releasing her to press against the stone at her back. Her hands climbed up to tangle themselves in his hair, the silky silver locks were smooth and cool to the touch. She dared to open her eyes a fraction to find his eyes burning into hers like hot coals, it shocked her to see such utter restraint in his gaze, and almost feel the fury behind his eyes with his frustrations at her predicament of carrying his brother's child. She almost found it humorous, if she didn't worry about him actually claiming her right now.

"Sesshoumaru, we need to…ahh.." Sesshoumaru deepened the kiss at around the same time his hands left the rock. One came up and enmeshed itself in her hair, cupping the back of her head. The other came around her waist and held her against him. Trapping her body against his.

He broke the kiss off and drew his head back, looking down at her through half-lidded eyes. "I know." With great reluctance, he sighed and released her.

Eventually, he let go of her and backed off. He turned his head away to face the water. "Go. Leave for the camp."

Kagome slipped away from behind him, but his voice stopped her progress at the edge of the clearing. She stopped and looked back at him to hear his words.

"Don't turn your back on me. And do _not_ run."

With a nod, she turned to face him fully and slowly back away from him until she was out of sight of him. He remained standing there at the edge of the pool, his eyes hard and boring into the water.

Once she judged she was far enough away, she turned away and flitted back to camp. Her hair settling around her as she came to a complete stop, Shippo was sitting nearby tending the fire.

"Hey Kagome! What are we having for dinner?"

Kagome looked down at him, a warm smile on her face, "When Sesshoumaru gets back, I'll go hunting. And then we'll see. Meanwhile, could you boil the rice in that bag over there? And add some rosemary to the water. It'll be a great side dish."

"Right! Okay, Kagome you can trust me! I won't let it burn!"

"Thank you Shi—Hikaru."

She helped him with the tasks and when the rice finally started cooking, she set it at the edge of the fire, just close enough to simmer. Sesshoumaru arrived shortly afterwards, His hair was clean and damp, and when he entered the clearing his gaze zipped across to meet Kagome's own. They shared an unspoken word, and then Kagome stood up straight to hunt.

"Well, I'll be back then. Hikaru, mind the fire and I'll return shortly."

Shippo nodded, his eyes serious. Kagome was a good hunter, she hunted even faster than Sesshoumaru and always brought back her kills within a few minutes, her shortest time she had been absent was about forty minutes.

Kagome's baby was causing Kagome to become hungry more often and for more bloody means. Shippo secretly observed Kagome licking blood from her hands from the scent of a demon other than what she brought back, so she must be feeding herself a bit first and then hunting down another for the rest of them.

But she was still eating what she brought back, so it must be barely enough to satiate her hunger. It was just as well that Sesshoumaru and her took turns in the task of bringing back food.

Two days journey away from the Central Courts, Kagome called a halt.

"Hold up a few minutes, guys, I need to..." She toppled out of her saddle with those words and as her feet sought to catch her, her knees buckled, and she clung to Rukaze's mane to try and stay upright. Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed and he stepped to her side.

"You need to hunt, Kagome-sama." Sesshoumaru stated, concern coloring his tone. She gasped, fighting to control her breathing before sinking to the ground.

After a moment, she gathered another boost of strength and straightened and turned away towards the trees, she made it about twelve steps and was about to slip into the forestry when the dizziness swept over her again, and she collapsed to the ground.

Sesshoumaru saw her falling and reacted quickly, catching her in his arms as she fell limply towards the ground. He hefted her up, and leaned her against the tree she fell next to, then turned without another word and faded into the surrounding countryside.

* * *

He returned several minutes later, a struggling deer caught in his arms. He swiftly broke the creature's neck, and roused Kagome. When she blearily opened her eyes, and focused on the deer, she growled weakly, and reached a hand out to it. He caught her hand in his for just a moment, enough to let her know that he wasn't giving it to her yet.

"Hikaru, hand me your knife." He ordered.

Shippo complied hurriedly, dashing over and unsheathing the blade and placing it into Sesshoumaru's waiting hand. Sesshoumaru made quick work of draining the blood through the arteries in both sides of the neck, then cut out strips of red meat dripping with residual blood in the capillaries.

Kagome fed feverishly, finishing every piece he handed to her. As she ate more color began to return to her face and the faint deathly pallor receded from her face as more blood rushed through her system, rebooting and reenergizing her body.

Her son kicked viciously within her, and her hands came over to try and soften his blows against her. The child was still hungry, and she was hard put to satisfy both him and her. She devoured the entire deer, save the bones and tough skin and ligaments. Then Sesshoumaru disappeared again, this time returning with an entire boar held in one arm, even as the creature squealed and struggled for its life.

With a swift stroke, Sesshoumaru cut through the windpipe and neck arteries, and lowering the bleeding neck to Kagome's lips for her to drink. She sucked at the blood greedily, and when the creature was drained, her hands shook as she reached to eat the meat as well. Again, Sesshoumaru stopped her, and began the task of cutting and feeding Kagome the meat by hand. When Kagome finished off the boar, she fell back against the tree, her eyes drooping shut before she came to a stop. Sesshoumaru frowned, they hadn't gotten as far as he had hoped today, and he didn't like the thought of stopping now of all times, when it was barely mid-morning.

But Kagome's health was important to maintain. Her pup was also important. She was his weakness, and he would just have to deal with that. With a grimace, he turned and removed Rukaze's saddle and bridle, before releasing the stallion to wander and graze, his halter trailing a short lead-rope beside him as he grazed. Ah-Un joined the tall horse seconds later, preferring to lounge in the sun verses eating grass just now.

Shippo, knowing that Kagome needed her rest, and that Sesshoumaru wasn't the most talkative person ever, tucked himself under Kagome's arm and settled for an impromptu nap. A child could never get enough shut-eye.

Sesshoumaru settled himself against a tree opposite from Kagome's sleeping form, and leaned his head back. Content to just watch Kagome as she slept as he had been doing the last couple nights of their traveling together. Even as he watched her, he sat and wondered which of their characteristics would his own pups carry over from himself and her. Would they have green eyes, or gold? Silver hair, or the strange steel-gray that Kagome sported?

It was rare for an Inuyoukai to be born with dark hair, and even more rare for them to have anything else but golden eyes. Yet his own father had the dark silver hair, that was several shades lighter than Kagome's steel-gray. It was a pretty steel gray, it did not make her look old at all. It was fascinating to him.

Eventually, hours slipped by. Midday came and went. Sesshoumaru sat there as a silent sentinel until in the early afternoon, Kagome finally stirred and awoke. Her eyes blinking open and taking in her surroundings with curiosity and alertness.

Sesshoumaru stood up, and Kagome did the same, lifting up Shippo with one arm absentmindedly.

Rukaze ambled up to her, seeing she was awake and whickered at her reassuringly. She smiled, and woke up Shippo, setting him on Rukaze's neck. The child yawned sleepily and sat up on the horse. Kagome saddled and bridled the big stallion, then she mounted him and the group set off once again. Sesshoumaru set a swift pace, and they managed to cover most of their expected ground for the day, yet they did not stop there.

* * *

They traveled long through the night and in the early hours of the morning, they crested the steep incline they had been working they way up to reveal a grand city spread out in a vast circular shape. The walls of all the buildings were composed of a smooth white stone, and the great wall that surrounded the city looked to be composed of the same smooth white stone with tall guard towers at various intervals.

"Behold, the Central Courts of Lyterna." She heard Sesshoumaru whisper, his eyes flickered over to her to see her reaction. Kagome didn't answer.

There were four large gates that were the only entrances to the city, one of the entrances opened onto a wharf where ships came in to port on the enormous lake on the northern side of the city. They could see people going about their business, and every one of them were demons. Kagome had seen the city once in her travels with Inuyasha, but they had given the place a wide berth, when they had sensed the huge number of demonic presences.

It was even more amazing than what she remembered. The buildings reached up to the skies, their fluted rooftops scraping the sky like so many claws, while murals and sculptures dotted the sides and corners of the buildings.

There were four large towers which completely dwarfed the other buildings save one, they were located in the center of the city, each displaying a different banner. While in the exact center, there was a cylindrical building that far outmatched the other four buildings in sheer size and grandeur.

Kagome spotted the symbol of the Western Lands on the westernmost tower, and her eyes darted towards the northernmost tower to see the symbol of the Northern Lands, her eyes narrowed fractionally as she recognized that symbol as well.

She forced herself to look away from the Northern tower, to the Eastern tower, where Shippo's father supposedly was. While she expected a feeling of jealousy to rise in here, she was mildly surprised to find she felt no such compulsion, and instead only hope that Shippo could be reunited with his true father, and mother.

Finally, she turned to Sesshoumaru. "This is amazing, I would not have thought something like this could exist here. Where demons could coexist."

"We strive to perfect ourselves, and be superior to humans in all ways." Was his only reply.

Sesshoumaru started walking ahead, while Shippo stared in wide-eyed wonder at the city spread out before them. The city glimmered like a glittering jewel. The pathway down the cliff-side was treacherous, and Kagome had to dismount to help Rukaze along. Shippo had opted to ride on Ah-Un, who hovered imperiously in the air nearby, lest the horse slip.

Sesshoumaru hardly paused to see if they were keeping up, and continued his stately pace of a languid walk down the trail as if there was not a drop off thousands of feet down on his right hand side. It took them close to thirty minutes to reach the bottom, then another forty minutes to reach the gates.

The guards set up at the gates took one look at Sesshoumaru's hair and forehead and waved them through, glancing at Kagome in cursory interest, and giving a puzzling glance at the fox kit sitting on Kagome's shoulder.

They passed through the marketing district, and Sesshoumaru pointed out various stalls she might be interested in. Colorful scarves and stalls displaying exotic spices, and incense caught her attention because of the pleasing aromas wafting towards her.

Other stalls displayed works of art, and freshly tooled leather boots and wrist braces. Kagome looked at them curiously, seeing that many were dyed different colors.

When they passed through the marketing district, the surroundings shifted to residential housing. The buildings were modest and clean-kept, freshly washed and the stone gleamed. People stayed out of their way, Sesshoumaru cut an imposing figure and Kagome could see that many blanched when they saw him and disappeared from sight. She wondered, in an offhand way, why just the sight of Sesshoumaru struck such fear in everyone's hearts. Then she noticed the knot on the shoulders of the low-ranking demons, it was the circular curling form of a swirling wind and was a pale blue.

The symbol of the Northern Lands.

News must have spread ahead of them of their disdain and enmity with the Northern Lands, and as their eyes fell on her, they shivered and turned away. Soon enough though, as they came closer to their own tower, servants and citizens whose loyalties were tied to the Western Lands became prevalent, and Kagome found herself breathing easier as the citizens smiled and bowed to them.

It was slightly nerve racking, seeing so many of Ulquiorra's men. She worried for an ambush, but that was a silly thought. Wasn't it? He wouldn't do that in a city would he?

They reached the Western Tower without incident, and servants rushed to welcome them. They bustled about, unloading Ah-Un, and Rukaze and leading the steeds away from their masters. Sesshoumaru led the way into the tower itself, and the servants guided them to their separate rooms, Shippo stayed with Kagome. Sesshoumaru barely glanced at her.

Once in her room, Kagome sighed in relief, Shippo skipped over to the bed, excited at the prospect of checking to see if it bounced nicely. Kagome went straight to the bathroom, eager to wash away the dust and grime of travel.

Once in the warm water, she sighed in content. Washing her body and examining the scars remaining from her fight with Ulquiorra with interest. They were barely there, just long thin white lines where her flesh had been rent.

Truly, Sesshoumaru and Tobiume were masters at the art of saving her life. She really must find some way to thank them.

After she finished with her bath, she got out and dressed herself. Dressing in the blue shihakusho she had been given by the servants before she had left. She didn't understand their fascination with the color blue, but she supposed it did look rather fetching, with the cool white under-kimono.

She left her armor behind, opting to take just her katana. As she stepped out of her room, Sesshoumaru was walking down the hall towards her.

"You have the afternoon free, tomorrow we are meeting with the Eastern Lands and Hikaru's father to discern if Shippo is truly his son."

Kagome nodded, "Alright. Thank you I'll let him know."

She turned to back to her room.

"Wait."

She looked back at him, his eyes were unreadable as they searched her gaze.

"Never mind." He turned and left down the corridor, leaving Kagome to stare after him, exasperation showing clearly in her gaze. _'Just what was that about?'_

She shook her head and peeked back into her room, "Hey Shi—Hikaru, tomorrow we're going to be having a meeting with the Lord of the eastern Lands. I'm going out for a bit, want to go with me?"

Shippo looked up at her from where he was laying on the bed, "Sure! Let's go!"

Together they stepped out into the streets, and Kagome led the way back to the market district. They spent the afternoon looking at the various baubles and clothing being sold by all of the numerous vendors.

Kagome purchased a green child's shihakusho, and several infant-size outfits. The vendor did not question her choices, it was at least common knowledge that dog-demon females showed no signs of pregnancy.

She bought Shippo a new red shihakusho, and a bag of candied fruit. Pleased with the purchases, they made their way home. On the way, Kagome spotted a vendor fixing to close up shop. Kagome looked at the items lingeringly, they were concealing robes and cloaks for traveling. One cloak was a dusty red in color, and had many pockets and clasps, it would hide the bottom half of her face from view and it would cover her back entirely.

Such a cloak could have such possibilities, and uses. She signed quietly, as they continued up the pathway to the Western Tower.

Shippo followed her gaze back to the cloak, his eyes narrowed speculatively. Without a word, he followed her back to the tower. He didn't want to get lost or anything.

Once back at the tower, Kagome left up to her room to pack away her newly purchased items into her bags, Shippo was led away by a servant to his own rooms. Bored, Kagome wandered down the hallway to the balcony at the end of the hall. Upon opening the door, she was surprised to find Sesshoumaru standing quietly off to the side, gazing out across the city.

"Oh, hey there."

He looked back at her, and then looked back towards the city, "Did you find anything of interest?"

She smiled lightly, "Yes, I found a green little shihakusho that my son could wear when he's born, and a few other clothes for when he's much smaller."

Darkness had fallen, and the city took on a muted glow from the lights coming from windows, looking for all like the embers from a fire. Kagome lifted her gaze to the heavens to see the stars starting to come out for the night.

He grunted softly, his brows furrowed. "Kagome, there is something I need to tell you."

She turned to him, an eyebrow raised. "I'm here, Sesshoumaru. What do you need to tell me?"

His mouth drew into a grimace, mentally preparing himself for this conversation. "It's about your Adoption, there is something Tobiume and I have been keeping from you."

Kagome's brows furrowed as well, and her face took on a more serious light. "You better tell me then."

Reluctantly, he turned his gaze away from the city below them and looked at her. "The Adoption is a tricky thing, Kagome. There is a chance that your son may not be even partially human."

Kagome frowned, her mind already spinning through all the reasons why this could be. She felt short of breath now.

"What do you mean, Sesshoumaru?" She asked quietly, watching him carefully. Her throat constricted.

"Your son…he might also be mine."

"Pardon?" She whispered, her vision swimming, dizzily she reached a hand forward to catch the rail to steady herself, and she leaned on it gratefully. "Why would you say something like that, Sesshoumaru? Surely you jest…"

Sesshoumaru resolutely looked away back towards the city. He didn't want to tell her, but she needed to know whose son she possibly carried.

"I do not jest, woman."

He hated to take away her hope like this, her hope that she would still have something of his brother. But it was better to tell her now, that way she would expect to see the markings on the infant's face, rather than be horrified in shock.

Why did all of her conversations with him have to be about such serious things? What is going on in this world that she could not be left alone in her quest for the Jewel?

"Why couldn't you have told me this earlier, Sesshoumaru? Why are you telling me this now?"

"We weren't sure until I saw him that night. He…Kagome, I felt no humanness in him." He closed his eyes.

Her hands gripped the railing, as she found herself starting to hyperventilate. She wanted to hit him, to rail out and attack something. Suddenly she laughed, Kaede was right after all. She was carrying Sesshoumaru's progeny. This was surely the greatest joke in the world. Never had she lain with the man next to her, yet somehow, she was carrying his child.

Son of a bitch.

He glanced down at her, wondering why the woman was laughing of all things.

"I fail to see the humor of this."

She broke off her laughter, and glanced up at him. "Don't worry about it. It looks like the old woman was right after all."

She sobered after that, as the realization fully sank in. This wasn't Inuyasha's son. But, would it be so bad, carrying Sesshoumaru's son? It would certainly explain why the child relaxed in Sesshoumaru's presence. And reacted to him as he did not for anyone else but her.

Her breathing steadied, and she leaned against the rail, peering down into the darkness below.

It might not be so bad.

She glanced up at him from the corner of her eye, he had resumed his watching of the city.

Quietly, she did the same. The night breeze was cool on her skin, and after the excitement she felt like just relaxing in the darkness, and letting the cold wind calm her down.

Surely, this was an unfortunate turn of events. But really, could she afford to continue living in the past? Loving the specter of her dead husband? Perhaps, it was time to look to the future.


	9. The Absolution that Strengthens Us

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. Don't look at me like that. You know what I speak now is exact truth.**

**Also, I would like to apologize for the ridiculously long delay between updates. It was truly never my intention to wait this long. A long chain of events kept me rather busy. Several paintings in my old sketch-book demanded (quite seriously, too) that I finish what I started, and give them a proper world in which to reside. And you know how easy-going Kagome is, she completely understood. Sesshoumaru...was a different case, but Kagome kept him off me long enough to finish the work on the Dragon I was finishing. **

**It was really quite fantastic, as soon as I finished, the hold Kagome had on Sesshoumaru was broken, and I thought I was going to get the beating of my life. Turns out, he only shredded the pant legs of my favorite jeans. The dragon I was finishing then tore himself straight from my paper to Sesshoumaru's sketchy holographic display that was currently chasing me around. After a brief walloping, Sesshoumaru and Kagome returned to my (now) inert laptop and the dragon (with much grumbling) settled back into his painting. **

**I hope you enjoyed my little side show, now read the real prize beneath.**

**~SoA**

Chapter Nine: Forgive

Chapter Quote:

"_There is magic in sincere forgiveness, the magic to heal. In forgiveness you grant, but more so, in forgiveness you receive."  
_Wizard's Fourth Rule  
_Temple of the Winds_: Chapter 41, Page 318.  
_Terry Goodkind_

* * *

The next morning, Kagome and Sesshoumaru awoke early, and in the predawn light entered the Central Council Chamber. Kagome felt nervous, today she was going to see Ulquiorra Shirayuki for the first time since arriving in Lyterna.

"What do the Elders look like, Sesshoumaru-sama? What kind of youkai are they?" She piped up as they walked briskly in the chill morning air.

"They are… different. You shall see when we get there." Was all he said on the matter.

Sesshoumaru submitted the report against Ulquiorra and they took their seats in the council room. The other Taiyoukai sat in their respective corners with the Council of Elders seated in their respective places: in the center.

The great room was white-washed, with a high-vaulted ceiling, Paragons of Power divided the room into four separate corners, with a white space in the center. Pathways were marked with white chalk-lines denoting safe-ways into and out of the room. But it appeared that no Taiyoukai was allowed to enter a place that was not designated to their respective House. The West was blue, the East was red, the North was green, and the South was orange.

As Kagome seated herself onto her chair, just behind and to the left of Sesshoumaru; signifying that she was not the heir to the throne, she got her first good look at the other Cardinal Taiyoukai, and their respective heirs and mates. She also saw the Taiyoukai of Lyterna for the first time.

On the Northern quarter of the grand circular room, Prince Ulquiorra sat to his father's right. The great Kurohyou Youkai was grizzled and scarred, gray hairs at his temples and dark orange-red eyes.

'_He must get his eyes from his mother.' _Kagome thought distractedly.

Prince Ulquiorra leered at her balefully from his unobstructed view of her where they sat. A petulant frown about his lips. Kagome pointedly ignored him, keeping her gaze instead on the Royale Central Court Youkai who were seated in the center of the room, light was cast upon their tables from shuttered paper lanterns hanging over their heads. They were dressed in white silk robes, with black embroidery on the hems, sleeves, and collars composed of curling leaves and vines.

The ruling class of youkai of Lyterna were indeed strange beings. They seemed a blend of all four of the Cardinal Lords, and at the same time, something else entirely separate. They were not purely of one type or breed of youkai, and instead, seem to be their own breed; Central Royale Court Youkai. They surely looked at home in their bodies. No movement was awkward, or odd. They moved with grace and poise.

They were descended from all four Cardinal Lines; Western Royale Inu Youkai, Eastern Royale Kitsune Youkai, Northern Royale Kurohyou Youkai, and Southern Royale Tora Youkai.

Typically, these elders seemed to share the same characteristics; they all had golden eyes from their Inuyoukai ancestors; straight black hair from their Kurohyou ancestors; long lithe forms from their Kitsune ancestors; but their upswept brows, slanted eyes, sharply angled chins, and long straight nose that tapered to a fine tip was purely from the Tora Youkai.

The Council of Elders started with a set of youkai; youngest sons and daughters of the Cardinal Lords who had nothing going for them after their elder siblings took power. They lacked the ambition and hate necessary to make them wish to overtake their elder siblings; affection for their families and their ancestral lands made them leave to find their own way in life. They did not wish to cause stress and strain on their Elder brothers by being a threat to the throne while their elder brothers worked to secure their thrones.

Along with the other younger siblings of the four great Houses and a few minor ones, they took each other as mates and swore oaths of neutrality and devoted themselves to the law. They were descended from all four Cardinal Lords, but claim none of the lands for themselves.

With the advantages of not being in line for the throne, they were able to gain an impartial view to the disputes between the Lands, and used this aspect to great effect. They remain out of the affairs of the Cardinal Lords themselves, and never place themselves forward as candidates for the Thrones. Instead, they settle disputes like the one facing the West and the North.

Concerned over the families from whence they all came, they have taken to compiling and recording everything of great import throughout the lands, but mainly with the Cardinal Lords.

Usually, they send out a young historian to be an advisor, and that scribe will record most of whatever happens to the Lord they are sent to observe and record, also supplying whatever advice seems prudent to share with the Lord. Thus, allowing for faster communication, but also allowing for faster retribution of wrongs done between Royals. When the Shikon shards were discovered to be present in the world, the Ruling Council outlawed its use by any Royale or Noble Youkai.

Penalties included stripping of privileges or allowance to use the Central Court of Appeals, and admittance to or ability to exit the city.

The Central Courts emissary would be recalled to show disfavor of the Noble or Cardinal Lord.

Kagome sat rigidly in her seat, her hands clasped tightly in her lap.

They had been sitting for the past three hours listening to the proceedings as the Council went over various new laws that had been adapted over the year.

"Are those Shards still abroad? That law will have to remain active for another year, then…"

"…Now that that's been wrapped up, let's get down to the disputes. The incident between the North and the West, involving the Western Lords' sister, and the heir to the North, scandalous to be sure…"

"…Wasn't aware he had a sister, G'Tan…"

"Yes, he submitted the report about it sometime last year…"

"…Interesting way to collect a sibling."

They murmured among themselves as they sorted out the parchments on their desks, apparently not minding if they were overheard or not.

The Elder who spoke first adjusted his reading apparatus closer to his eyes and peered down at the sheet in his hand before setting his raptor gaze upon the Cardinal Lords present.

"We are gathered here today for the case between Prince Ulquiorra Shirayuki and Lady Kagome Inutaishou no Jagera. Will the defendant please rise, so the charges may be stated against him."

Ulquiorra stood, his green eyes flashing proudly.

"Prince Ulquiorra Shirayuki. Son of Lord-General Nathaniel Shirayuki and Princess-Rang'Shada Lien Lung Suinsei.

You have been charged with attempted murder of the heir of the Western Lands, and great harm to Lady Kagome herself. On another grave note, you had been found using six Jewel Shards at the time of your attack. How do you plead?"

The speaker raised a curled fist and flung it out towards Ulquiorra. Slowly, a mist formed over Ulquiorra's head and a seam appeared in the middle, which grew slowly wider to reveal a large blue eye. The eye gazed down at Ulquiorra sleepily.

"I, Ulquiorra Shirayuki, heir to the Northern Lands, present my case as follows; for the charge against attempted murder for the heir of the Western Lands, I was told it was only the nephew of the Lord Sesshoumaru. Her mating-mark also told me it was not the son of the living Lord Sesshoumaru. For knowledge it was the heir, I plead innocent!

As to why I attacked in the first place; she threatened my use of the shards, and I was hunting for a mate."

"Why did you not go through the usual channels of Court to find a mate?" the Elder Justice asked, his eyes narrowed slightly. The great blue eye widened only fractionally as it stared down at Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra seemed solidly unaware of the entity over his head, everyone else in the room watched it with avid intensity.

"I did not use the Royale Court channels to look for a mate simply because when I choose a mate, she will be worthy of me." Here, Ulquiorra's burning gaze bored into Kagome from where he stood. It took all of her will-power not to look at him, or cringe away from his gaze.

Kagome suppressed a shiver. '_What if Ulquiorra manages to capture her at that vital moment after her son was born and the mark faded?'_ She gave a minute shake of her head. No, Sesshoumaru would catch her. He had to catch her. He was the fastest Youkai she had ever known.

As for why she wanted him, the cold Sesshoumaru of all people, to catch her?

He anchored her with familiarity, amid this world of Youkai and humans she was unfamiliar with. Of all the Cardinal Houses, the House of the Western moon was the House that Kagome had devoted her time and intelligence to learning about.

Also, for any children she was going to have, she did not want them to ever be at odds with one another. If her son belonged to Sesshoumaru, and according to him there was a very strong possibility, or Inuyasha, she would rather any other children born after be descended of only one House; Sesshoumaru's House.

"From the Lady's reaction, she did not appreciate your advance, according to the report. Why did you continue?"

Ulquiorra stiffened, and tucked his chin down slightly; a clear indication that the question demanded an answer that he and several others in the room here going to find difficult to both speak and to hear.

"Honored Justice; if the child were to die, the mark would fade as her current mate is dead. When her body recovered, she would be forced into heat, and so driven she wouldn't care at the time who captured her, and mated with her."

The room erupted into loud gravelly snarls and growls, Sesshoumaru beside her was especially livid. His eyes were tinting red, and he was gripping his chair in a vice-like grip.

Kagome, seeing this, knew she had to calm him down somehow. Looking at all the other Lords present, she saw that they were also fighting to control various levels of anger and disgust at Ulquiorra's actions. She frowned, if Ulquiorra grew up in this kind of environment, where such a breach of protocol was so looked down upon, why had he done such a thing in the first place? More puzzling yet, why would he admit the truth so openly?

The first audible cracks and crunches were the warning signs of the impending transformation into his true form as control fled him in his anger. She was running out of time.

Kagome rumbled soothingly to him, and leaned her head against his side, reminding him that she was there, beside him. Alive and well. As soon as his growls abated, Kagome made to lift her head away from him, but his arm shot out and crushed her against his side once again.

"You are mine!" he hissed, as she struggled fitfully. She forced her own growls to fade away at the sudden movements to still while his words sunk in; she looked up at him cautiously. The red tinting had faded, though it remained at the edges. She twisted her gaze back towards the Justice as he continued to speak.

"Get more _Asaphras_ on those braziers, now!"

Servants hurriedly threw strange amber crystals onto the hot coals of the braziers resting at the base of every quarter of the room, and the smoke that billowed up into the faces of those present smelled… delightful.

Kagome took a careful sniff, and blinked. It was more than just delightful, it was rapture. Her eyes unfocused dreamily. She had never smelt anything so heavenly. She sighed in contentment.

Sesshoumaru relaxed next to her, leaning back in his chair, a semi-content look in his stern eyes. He settled for a half-hearted scowl towards the Northern Prince. He loosened his hold on Kagome to allow her to relax more comfortably against his side, but did not let go.

"Prince Ulquiorra, you must be aware of how grievous an offense it is to not only attack a Royal Female of any House, but to also try to force her body to abort a child already in the womb in order to mate with her yourself.

"Are you aware of the consequences of such an action?" The Justice bore his acid gaze into Ulquiorra, who flinched. Kagome frowned, it appeared as if Ulquiorra was struggling within himself. His jaw clenched, and his hands fisted at his sides. His lips worked, though no words came out.

The blue eye glared down at Ulquiorra, and Ulquiorra shuddered involuntarily.

"I am aware of the consequences. Though it was a strange occurrence. As she ripped free the last…shard, I felt a strange relief overcome me, as if waking up for the first time. I fear I was not in my right mind, that the Jewel had indeed corrupted my will."

The Elderly Justice nodded thoughtfully.

"That is the inherent danger in using the shards, and why we prohibited their use. This brings us to the other matter we have been called for this meeting. You were perfectly aware of the consequences of using a shard of that Jewel, yet you did so anyways.

"Explain yourself, Prince."

Ulquiorra's ears seemed to pin against his head, the tips angling back against his head. He seemed to struggle for another couple of seconds, and agony seemed to flare up in his eyes. The blue eye above him continued to glare balefully down at Ulquiorra. Something seemed to snap in his gaze and his head bowed in defeat. His panting gasps were easily heard from where Kagome sat frozen.

Just what was that mist with the blue eye? What was it doing to Ulquiorra to cause him to speak up like that? And by doing so, further incriminated himself before everyone…whatever it was, it disturbed her greatly.

"I collected my first shard off of a lesser Youkai. When I picked up the odd crystal, it flared and I immediately felt compelled to use it. I tried to resist, truly I did, but the whispers followed me even as I dreamed, as I ate, and even as I trained. Finally, exhausted, I gave in to its sweet voice and implanted it in my forehead.

"After that, I had peace. But the power! It craved more of itself, and it drove me to find more. Frankly, I did not mind it, it told me of a great many things it could do for me. I wanted more, it just felt so nice to collect more; I slept better and felt far safer than at any other time during my wanderings… I just wanted more.

"You have no idea how badly it drives me, the need for more; with every shard collected, the intensity increased. I craved the Jewel, and when Lady Kagome appeared before me, and declared her intention to destroy the Jewel, I knew I had to stop her.

"But I did not wish her death. When I saw her, I wanted her for myself. She is a beautiful young lady, I would be greatly pleased to have her for my own…"

Here, Ulquiorra trailed off, his gaze lingered on Kagome where she sat suddenly very still under Sesshoumaru's arm, her gaze locked on his and she hardly dared to breathe.

Even as she sat there, she could feel Sesshoumaru's chest reverberate with deep growls. His grip briefly tightened on her shoulders.

Kagome couldn't decide herself whether she was scared of Ulquiorra or furious with him. And her heart was being decidedly tricky with a small tendril of sympathy reaching out toward her nightmare of the North for being caught under the spell of the Jewel's hypnotic entrancement.

This was yet another reason as to why she needed to destroy the Jewel; such tragic events could have been avoided had Ulquiorra been in his right mind. Had the Jewel not existed. All the damned Jewel brought was ruin. It brought despair and heartbreak no matter who used it, no matter what their intentions were.

The whole debacle with Naraku, he was a lonely man who wanted Kikyou to love him; so he fed his soul to demons for the strength to try and make her see him for something great.

Then the Jewel whispered to him, twisting his unguarded and bitter mind, and confused heart. Turning Onigumo into the monster that was Naraku.

Now, the Jewel had struck again, even with the dark spirit Megasuhei destroyed and sent on, this time targeting the Prince of the North, Ulquiorra…

"Prince Ulquiorra. What made you believe you could possibly control the power of the Jewel, and remain unmoved by its desires?"

"I believed I was strong enough… I thought I was great enough to control it."

"None can control it, young cub. They can only end up being controlled by it. That is why it is forbidden."

Ulquiorra sagged on his feet, and sweat slicked his brow though the room was quite cool.

"What are my consequences, Honored Sir?"

"We shall discuss that at a later time when the jury has had some time to prepare an answer to that question."

The Justice raised one clawed hand and his fingers moved again in a subtle dance and the mist hanging over Ulquiorra faded away, the eye slowly closing once more. For some reason, Kagome decided it would be a very bad thing if the eye were to ever open fully.

Ulquiorra rocked on his heels and with a soft moan, fell back in his chair in a dead faint.

"Lady Kagome Inutaicho no Jagera, please rise."

Fear suddenly surged through Kagome, _'what is going to happen now?'_

Sesshoumaru released her, and faces turned toward Kagome expectantly. She stood up and swallowed thickly, stepping forward a pace.

"Hai, Honored Sir. I am Kagome, sister to Sesshoumaru."

The Justice turned his gaze on her and raised his hand. His fingers drew out that strange and subtle dance, the air seemed to turn to gel in front of Kagome, suddenly she became vaguely aware of some strange and dominating presence weighing down on her shoulders and head.

She wanted to move, but her body felt so heavy. A great weight hemmed on every side, completely immobilizing her.

A voice rang out to her, a voice whom she must answer. Something compelled her to speak and her mouth formed words and breath left her throat to give the words life without her permission.

"Are you Kagome Inutaicho no Jagera?" It was simple, and the words sprang unbidden to her lips.

"Yes."

"Is that your only name, Kagome?"

"No," she replied, the world seemed to disappear around her, and only his voice was there. The pressure urged her to answer, and she found it impossible to bend the truth now. This was bad.

"I was born Kagome Higurashi."

"Where are you from, Kagome?" She struggled, 'No! They can't know, it will hurt everything if they knew!'

"From the other side of the Bone Eater's Well." She replied stiffly.

Another voice cut into the room, and her world, "We did not come for you to ask her about where she came from. Stick to questions pertaining to the case." The cold voice broke in unexpectedly. Kagome felt awash with relief. Sesshoumaru had saved her yet again.

"Very well. Lady Kagome, what are you?"

Kagome wanted to sigh in relief, if not for the strange pressure keeping her immobilized and forcing her to speak the absolute truth.

"I am the Shikon Miko."

The room fell silent.

"The Shikon Miko was human, how are you the Shikon Miko?"

She felt as if she were in a great daze. Everything around her had long since dissolved into shades of gray and blue and black. These long waves of color washed and ebbed around her, moving as if in a sinuous dance in time to the words spoken around her.

"Yes. I am the Shikon Miko. I undertook the Royale Ritual of Adoption… I survived. I am still the Shikon Miko. My purity remains; I am still able to cleanse the tainted shards, and I do not hear the siren's call."

The room faded to a misty pale blue, and Kagome blinked sleepily. She wavered on her feet, trying to remain still under the pressure.

"You can purify the Jewel?"

Kagome blinked, "Yes."

"What do you seek the Shards for?"

Kagome managed to draw herself up, "I plan to combine the shards all together and send the damned Jewel into oblivion."

"You possess shards of the Jewel?"

Kagome tensed. This could be very bad. She railed against the foreign presence over her mind, over her thoughts. She gritted her teeth and the pressure intensified so much that black spots appeared in her vision and began to expand. Her vision faded. She could not take this anymore.

"…yes." She answered, her voice only the barest whisper. Her vision returned rapidly, taking in the Council Chambers and the elderly Justice gazing up at her in speculation and impassivity.

"What made you challenge Prince Ulquiorra for the Shards, Kagome?"

"It is my task to collect the Shards, when he would not give them up willingly, I was forced to take action." She faltered, the fight with Ulquiorra playing out in her head.

"Did it occur to you he was possibly under the influence?"

"It was a minor worry, at the time the fact of the matter was he was trying to hurt me. I was trying to survive while wresting as many Shards from him as possible."

The elderly Justice dipped his head, the other two Justices to his left and right frowned and they looked at each other before their gaze settled on the Justice in the middle and he spoke again.

"You collect the Shards, but you do not use them?" He questioned, as if hardly believing what he was hearing.

"Correct."

"Can you…wield priestess powers, Kagome?"

"Correct… Though, it has blended with my Youkai energy in such a way that it is not exactly like that of the Human Holy energy…Sir."

"Does the Jewel speak to you?" He pressed.

Kagome frowned, was Midoriko considered part of the Jewel? No, she was the warrior Miko. She was not the 'the Jewel' in that sense of the word, more like a guide.

"I hear no 'voice' from the Jewel." She replied.

The Youkai's brows furrowed, noticing her pause, and her wording though he did not press the issue.

"It does not tempt you with its power, Kagome?"

Quickly, she reviewed all of her interactions with the Jewel.

"No, I am not drawn to its allure."

"Why do you think that is?"

Now her brow furrowed, what was the point of such a question?

"I am not sure. I know I was born to destroy the Jewel, perhaps my purpose allows me the immunity needed."

The Justice nodded his head again. He raised his hand and Kagome's vision swam as she saw his fingers flick and weave through the air.

Then she was falling, her body giving out with a boneless-ness she could not fight. A weariness she could not overcome. Blackness descended on her as she melted into her chair, a soft sigh escaped her lips as her eyes slipped closed.

Voices floated across to her as if from far away, but she could only hear bits and pieces.

"She…cannot be…"

"Imperative that a watch…"

"Truly a phenomena…"

"Wake up."

* * *

Her eyes fluttered open and she looked around disoriented. The Council Chamber was empty, and only a few of the strange globes were still alight in the room. After a sharp intake of breath, she swung her head forward again, blinking owlishly. Sesshoumaru was standing over her, his face neutral.

"What happened? How long was I out?" She asked, her throat felt dry and her stomach felt painfully empty.

"Just under three hours. Get up."

Kagome stood up and wobbled slightly, when she felt steadier, she walked forward and Sesshoumaru led her out into the afternoon sun. Crickets chirped in the warm air and Kagome looked around with renewed interest. After being in shut into that dim Council Chamber all morning, and then her unexpected nap, all of the colors dazzled her; the flowers grew vibrantly with many colors of the rainbow in ornate beds arranged neatly along the pathway. Butterflies and bees flew about their duties as seriously as only insects could.

Her son kicked out eagerly, feeling his mother moving about again. Kagome smiled, glad for his comforting movement within her again. He had gained a sort of hesitance to broadcast his interest in things since her battle with Ulquiorra, she was glad he was beginning to express himself again. She sighed quietly, she really had been so careless in that battle.

The terror she had felt when she had been unable to feel him move, she had been terrified that she had lost him in that fight after all.

Sesshoumaru and her walked at a stately pace, Kagome stepping behind and just to his left as her station denoted. Upon reaching the Tower, Kagome immediately ambled off to the kitchens to get the cooks to prepare her something to eat.

Minutes later, she was eagerly digging into the heaping plate that had been set out before her. Her son eagerly added his sentiment about the food with several well placed kicks, one of which jabbed straight into her stomach, causing her to almost lose her dinner as her food threatened to come up. She scolded her son richly with several choice words about it, she wasn't sure if he got the message. However, his kicks had ceased in that direction.

Later that night, she lay curled up on her side in the center of her bed. Her back was toward the door. Her arms cradled her abdomen as her son sleepily moved about. Though she wasn't showing many signs of her pregnancy, her torso had grown slightly thicker, to further shield her son and cover his presence as he was indeed growing larger every passing week.

Her breasts were also starting to grow, making them incredibly tender and sore.

"Next year, you'll be here. My son." She whispered to him. She felt a foot, or was it a hand, press against her own hand through her flesh. She smiled gently. It felt like a paw, so it could be either one.

A breath of air washed over her, and with it came a familiar and powerful scent. A scent she at once relaxed in and tensed slightly at. Kagome froze and her eyes shot open as the bed shifted under the added weight and the dark figure ran his chin over her exposed arm where it lay above the blankets.

He situated himself behind her, resting his head on her shoulder and curling an arm over her waist to settle over her son.

No, that's not right. _Their _son.

Kagome allowed herself to relax, and close her eyes once more as his hand lightly traced patterns on her arm, his fingers traced the stripes that adorned her wrists and trailed their way up to her elbow before trailing back down.

He was a Youkai, Youkai didn't speak much, they constantly reinforced what they meant through actions. She was beginning to understand better.

Minutes later, something clicked in her mind. Something was off.

Her eyes shot open with the realization. She twisted around to face him, their noses almost touching. The proximity made her lean away and try to wiggle back a little bit.

"Sesshoumaru, you aren't wearing your armor." It wasn't a question.

"Did you think I slept in it? You don't sleep in yours. Silly girl."

She growled, which only served to make him grin in the darkness. As her aura flared up momentarily, Sesshoumaru's aura flared up as well to overwhelm her own. This time it wasn't forceful, and oppressive. It was like a dancing of their selves, as their souls reared up and flared outside their bodies. Doing this in turn, caused their son's green and black aura to flare up between them.

They paused to look with otherworldly eyes as they watched their auras intermingle with their son's aura.

"Of course! Why didn't I notice it earlier? Look Sesshoumaru!"

Sesshoumaru nodded, "He carries the black half from your aura, and the green from mine."

"It was there in front of us from the beginning." She said, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Why do you cry, girl?" He asked, in a rare show of tenderness he thumbed away her falling tears.

"Because all this time, I have missed and longed for your brother"—

"Half-" He interjected, she ignored him.

"I have been so blind and dumb in regards to your feelings, and your endless kindness and patience for me. I feel that I have done you a great wrong. Forgive me, Sesshoumaru-sama."

Sesshoumaru was silent for a moment, before wrapping his arm over her protectively, this time she sighed in content and snuggled into his embrace.

"Calm yourself, Kagome. All is well." He kissed her forehead, and ran his hands through her hair.

As her breathing calmed and her tears stopped, she looked up at him, her eyes glimmering like twin jade stones.

"My Alpha." She breathed, her tongue toying with the word, and rolling it about in her mouth. _Alpha. Alpha. My Alpha._

His body thrummed with praise and his fingers danced a sensuous rubbing on her back. She tilted her head up and gently kissed him on the lips.

A jolt of electricity raced through him, and Sesshoumaru gave a sharp intake of breath.

She had never kissed him before, he had always been the one to instigate the kisses.

His arm tightened around her, and his claw tips dug into her back, causing her to whimper.

"Alpha…" She kissed him again, and he growled affirmatively in response. He began trailing kisses along her jaw line, making Kagome shiver.

All of her pent up emotions came bubbling to the surface, and her body reacted as it had always wanted to, her subconscious had buried it down so far, she never knew she could have felt this way.

Certainly, the burning she had felt for Inuyasha was nothing compared to the inferno she felt for Sesshoumaru. She curled her arms around Sesshoumaru's neck as a shuddering breath passed her lips.

She had been born for this, Sesshoumaru, dare she even think it, she had been born for him, truly. She had been born to be the answer to the world's silent cries which of all the races, only the Youkai answered, and were desperate for the cure. She was their answer. This, she could accept, along with the burden of destroying the Jewel.

Sesshoumaru, along with supplying her with purpose, gave her a place where she would always belong.

By his side.

That was what she craved more than anything. A place to belong, and to be valued and loved. A family of her own, a place where she could be happy. Because like it or not, she would be stuck on this side of the Well when the Jewel Shards were completed, and the Jewel itself sent into oblivion.

Sesshoumaru gave a soft sigh and relaxed. Nuzzling his nose into her hair as his arms enfolded themselves around her form to hold her loosely and comfortably.

"Sleep now. I shall go when you do." He told her softly.

Moonlight shined through her window weakly, a quarter-moon tonight.

"Stay, please?"

Sesshoumaru blinked and looked down at her.

"What did you say?"

Kagome rubbed her face against his shoulder sleepily.

"Please stay, he sleeps better if you're nearby like this."

Sesshoumaru's awareness shifted to their son, and found the pup resting, still and sleeping inside her. He nodded, silently pleased she would let him stay with her like this.

"Very well, then.

Sesshoumaru guarded her as she slept. His piercing gaze swept the room as he restlessly kept watch. It's not that he genuinely thought enemies were hiding in the room. It was that his instincts made him act in this manner. With his arm curling around the woman who carried his son, and his own affection for the woman in question, he was overwhelmed with the intense desire to protect her.

To protect his pack.

Eventually, his own nerves settled and at last, he succumbed to slumber.

How long had he waited for her? How long did he wait there, watching her easy interactions with his half-brother, all the while noticing when Inuyasha would leave during the middle of the night on his own travels with the little miko. Where his scoundrel of a brother went, not even he knew.

He could never place the scent that had clung to him. But he always lifted a lip and snarled, surely whatever it was, couldn't be good. Not with those furtive glances Inuyasha would cast about as he left and came back.

He never had discovered what his brother did while he was gone from the Miko's side at night.

* * *

Kagome woke up feeling entirely secure, and warm, and safe. She stretched languidly, and snuggled closer to the heavy-sounding heart-beat she had dreamed to all night long. The tempo calmed her nerves like nothing else ever could. The spicy sandalwood scent tantalized her nose, and she sighed with the power it carried.

She felt so safe, even her son was sedate. Just as he usually was when Sesshoumaru was near.

On her next intake of breath, she abruptly recognized the scent of sandalwood and her eyes opened to confirm what she already knew.

Everything she spoke to him about the night before came rushing back to her conscious memory, and …and she had kissed him!

She looked up at him, at his calm face and calm golden eyes.

"Sesshoumaru," she said. Not sure how to begin. How does one begin with these kinds of things?

She studied his eyes, trying to see if he was displeased or not.

No, he didn't look displeased. There was a flicker of warmth to his gaze, it made his golden eyes mellow out, and resemble honey.

Her heart gave a strange thump when she realized he was looking at _her_ like that. Had he always looked at her like that? Even as she finished that thought a heavy rumbling purr vibrated from his chest and raced through her being.

Her blood reacted to him in ways she couldn't even imagine. Every beat of his heart caused hers to jump and surge within her. Being this close to him, the reactions were astounding, her mind was dazzled by the thought, the realization that it was his blood running through her veins. That even now, it called out to him, and called him master.

He was her Alpha through and through.

"Thank you. For staying, thank you." She finished, somewhat lamely.

"You thank me too often. Don't."

She leaned away from him as if trying to see him clearly.

"It makes you appear weak to always be thanking me. I am your Alpha; such things are my duty."

For a moment, Kagome thought to argue. But he had a point, and something nagged at her not to do so. "Yes, Alpha. Thank- never mind."

He raised one gloriously arched eyebrow down at her.

Perhaps they weren't so different after all.


	10. The History that Made Us

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. I do not own Inuyasha. I do not own anything, nor do I gain any monetary value from this fiction.**

**This is a Song-Poem sung by wizards in the Sword of Truth series. If you haven't noticed, I am influenced quite a bit by Goodkind's writings, and I value his work very much. He's like a hero to me. Just thought I'd share with you a rather disturbing poem…**

* * *

_**The Stone of Tears: A Song-Poem by Wizards**_

_The Screelings are loose and the Keeper may win.  
His assassins have come to rip off your skin  
Golden eyes will see you if you try to run.  
The Screelings will get you and laugh like it's fun._

_Walk away slow or they'll tear you apart,  
and laugh all day long as they rip out your heart.  
Golden eyes will see you if you try to stand still.  
The Screelings will get you, for the Keeper they kill._

_Hack 'em up, chop 'em up, cut 'em to bits,  
or else they get you while laughing in fits.  
If the Screelings don't get you the Keeper will try,  
to reach out and touch you, your skin he will fry._

_Your mind he will flail, your soul he will take.  
You'll sleep with the dead, for life you forsake.  
You'll die with the Keeper till the end of time.  
He hates that you live, your life is the crime._

_The Screelings might get you, it says so in text.  
If Screelings don't get you the Keeper is next,  
lest he who's born true can fight for life's bond.  
And that one is marked; he's the pebble in the pond._

Chapter Quote: _"Dance with me death, for I am ready." –_Richard, Sword of Truth series.

* * *

Chapter Ten: The History that Bound Us

* * *

Kagome watched from the balcony overlooking the gardens. Sesshoumaru and Shippo were down on the grass going over the various kata movements.

Kagome smiled softly as she again drifted her gaze to the tome on the table beside her. It was another tome depicting ancient nomadic Youkai tribes in various movements around ancient Pangaea, it had totally blown her mind that the Youkai had the skill of writing even then.

Distantly, she heard Sesshoumaru and Shippo call a halt to the practice and head back inside. She made a mental note to join them for lunch soon and hurried to finish the chapter.

She was abruptly broken from her studious reading by the sound of swiftly approaching wings. She looked up to see a small hawk Youkai land on the far side of the table, his dark amber eyes piercing her steadily.

He carried a note within his beak, and Kagome noticed he also had a purple ribbon around one ankle with the emblem of Lyterna emblazoned upon it.

A messenger hawk then.

The hawk hopped closer to her, wings held at half-mast as he recovered from the recoil of landing. Kagome took the proffered letter and opened it up to read.

* * *

_Lady Kagome._

_The Council of Lyterna requests your presence at your earliest convenience. Please report to the Central Council Tower."_

_-Justice Elder M'Writh Mneminth_

_-Justice Senior T'Ron Rememoir_

_-Justice Junior G'Tan Ramonth_

* * *

She looked up as she finished reading, butterflies fluttering in her middle somewhere. Sure enough. It was just as Sesshoumaru had said; they wished to speak to her, and it hadn't even been two days since the Hearing with Ulquiorra. And their names, such odd names.

She stood up, and the hawk Youkai fluttered to her shoulder. She glanced at it from the corner of her eye, but it seemed content to just sit on her shoulder.

Kagome headed downstairs for Sesshoumaru's private study. Upon arriving, she could easily sense him within. She placed her hand upon the door and sent a pulse of her energy against it. His own aura flared up in response and Kagome entered the room. The hawk Youkai had perched on the banister outside in the hallway.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, I have been summoned."

His golden eyes flicked up to her face and he nodded his head, extending his hand.

Kagome stepped forward and handed over the slip of paper. His eyes scanned it quickly before handing it back.

"I shall accompany you to the Central Tower, then."

"Thank you, Sesshoumaru, but that cannot surely be necessary. It is only a short distance."

Kagome had been quickly getting tired of being constantly guarded, and followed, and remaining cooped up in this Tower.

He growled deep in his throat. "Is your memory so short that you have forgotten what transpired in the first week of our arrival?"

"No, Sesshoumaru-sama," Her eyes were afire, "It's been almost two weeks since that day, nothing has happened since. Despite having gone to the Market District on numerous occasions, and lounging in plain sight in the gardens. Nothing has happened, or have you missed that detail?"

She gritted her teeth, and met his molten gaze. He was still her Alpha, and such a blatant show of disrespect would surely drive him over the edge, but it was too late for her to flick off her anger.

"Then I say they are biding their time for the moment one of us forgets how dangerous our foe is." He growled, his eyes like yellow-orange coals.

"Damn it, Sesshoumaru, you're acting paranoid!" She hissed.

Abruptly, Sesshoumaru's aura roared up, and lashed her. Driving Kagome to her knees with his force. Her eyes went wide, and she gasped for breath as she fought to stay upright. Fought to resist. Even more power weighed down on her shoulders, and Kagome fell forward, and threw her hands out to brace herself on the ground.

Sesshoumaru walked forward, and Kagome drew a shaky breath as she struggled. Closer proximity to him made it even harder to breathe. He leaned down so his mouth was by her ear.

"Do not be careless, Kagome." He growled with barely suppressed anger. "Your carelessness in the past has gotten you in endless trouble, it has gotten you killed. Do not be careless with your life."

His words, spoken with such conviction, cut right through her argument and she was ashamed.

"Forgive this one, Sesshoumaru-sama." Her eyes stung as she said the words, but she was damned if she let them fall.

For a long moment, Sesshoumaru stood there, his aura keeping Kagome pinned to the ground and gasping for breath. Kagome trembled, as her own aura fought to rise up and defend her, yet it was slipping. She couldn't find enough leverage to let her aura take root and become stable enough for her to build into a shield.

She floundered, trying and failing to shield herself. With a moan, she fell forward at his feet. Her body trembled as his aura continued to press down on her.

Sesshoumaru watched her, a detached expression on his face before he seemed to snap out of it, and realize Kagome was completely submissive before him. He drew in his aura, and Kagome relaxed.

Sweat beaded on her brow and soaked her temples.

"Forgive me, Sesshoumaru." She said, shaking.

He placed his hand on her shoulder, and she lifted her head to look up at him with a sullen and tired expression.

At his slight nod, she got to her feet and hung her head slightly, baring the back of her neck. He brushed past her and stepped from the room.

He led the way to the Tower; this time they were both fully outfitted in their battle regalia, Kagome had her glaive and wore her armor over the maroon robes and Sesshoumaru wore his own black and gray armor of bone over his own maroon robes with gold embroidery which denoted him as the Youkai Lord of the West.

Their eyes darted about as they kept watch about them. The messenger hawk floated lazily above them riding some obscure wind.

They arrived at the Tower without incident, the hawk Youkai fluttered off to join his fellows in the aerie, and Kagome was led into a side passage down a flight of twisting steps lit up by the oddly glowing spheres set in the wall brackets.

The young child who led her appeared even younger than Shippo did, smudges of ink were evident on the fingers of his right hand. His black hair was short, barely reaching past his sharply pointed ears. And his honey-brown eyes looked warm in his otherwise pale face.

Contrary to what Kagome would have thought, it was not damp or moldy this far below the Tower. At the end of the stairs, the child led her down a long hallway, Kagome felt a strange tingling on her skin and stopped in her tracks. Her brows furrowed, she looked closely at the walls.

"You won't see anything there. "

She looked at the child who spoke.

"You felt the shields, but you won't see anything."

"What makes you say that? Can everyone feel the shields?" She questioned.

"Because the spell-forms for the shields were not written there, Kagome-sama. I am among a small few who can still feel the shields."

"Spell-forms, like the true magic of old?"

"Yes, it is old magic. Old spells, old everything. None of us alive know how to reconstruct such spells so we just use them to shield things we want hidden."

"What would shields be for but to hide things we want hidden. I see, why are you telling me this?"

"Because my father thinks we can trust you. You won't let us down, will you Kagome?"

"I prefer to only make promises I can keep. Unless it goes against my morals, and my own duties to the West; I'll see what I can do to help you."

The child nodded. "Very good, my lady."

"What is your name?" Kagome asked.

"My name is Finlar, Kagome-sama."

"Finlar, what is that name from?"

Kagome kept wondering where these strange names kept coming from, like G'Tan and D'Kor, because they were certainly not Japanese.

"Nowhere in particular, Kagome-sama. Just here."

"But…it's not Japanese. How come your names are not based on the Japanese language?"

"We do not name ourselves on the Japanese traditions, Kagome-sama."

Kagome frowned as they continued their trek, "Why is that?"

"Because we are not Japanese. To name ourselves after a fashion of a nation we do not belong to is silly."

Now this seemed quite strange. Surely they were Japanese Youkai. Kagome leaned closer to him.

"If you are not Japanese, then what are you?"

She leaned back, feeling the beginnings of satisfaction at her question. He looked up at her as if stating the obvious.

"We are Central Royale Court Youkai."

Kagome regarded his answer speculatively. So they believed themselves to be a separate nation while within a nation. Well, a nation that had yet to become a nation, she wondered idly how well that was going to turn out when the time came for the unification of all of Japan.

The young Youkai continued to lead her down the long corridor, when they reached an intersection, they turned left and stopped at the only door. Finlar turned to her, "They are waiting for you in here."

Kagome looked past him down the darkened corridor. In the darkness, something seemed to pull her towards it.

"What is down that way, Finlar?"

"Shields no one can get through. All who have tried perished."

Kagome felt her skin crawl. What a painful way to die.

"Go, my lady. They mustn't be kept waiting."

Kagome dipped her head in thanks, "Thank you Finlar, you were an excellent guide."

She turned and knocked on the door.

"Enter." She heard from within.

She twisted the lever and pushed.

Blue light flooded around the door as she pushed it open.

The three Justices from before were within, seated on cushions.

A fourth cushion was placed at a slight distance from the other three for her to sit on.

Upon entering, she bowed in respect.

"Rise, Kagome-sama. Here we are equals, you do not bare your neck to us."

"Ah, thank you Honored Sir. I am pleased to meet you outside of the Council Chamber."

Kagome came forward, "Please, sit. We shall talk."

Kagome did as she was bid to, and seated herself on her knees.

"How has your stay been in Lyterna, the City of Scholars?"

Kagome smiled, "It has been well, thank you."

The youngest Justice looked up at her askance, "What, no complaints about the assassination attempt?" the junior Justice piped up with a chuckle. The most elderly of the Justices shot him a reproving look.

"Forgive him, my lady, he has had a bit too much sake. Oh! Would you like some as well?" He quickly covered.

Kagome smiled softly, "No thank you, I don't drink."

"Oh of course, you are pupped; how remiss of me. I shall drink for you then." He poured more into his bowl and sipped gingerly.

Now the Justice in the middle of the other two smiled at her. "Well, since it is obvious you can't drink right now, what about some fruit juice? It is quite good."

Kagome perked up brightly, "What kind of juice?"

"Guava, with kiwi." Kagome's eyes lit up with pure joy.

"I would certainly enjoy some, thank you."

The Youkai nodded, his warm golden eyes twinkling. He beckoned to one of the servants seated off to the side. The servant stood up and brought forth a pitcher of the delicious juice.

A bowl was set before her and filled almost to the brim with the delightful juice. Kagome brought the bowl to her lips and smelled it, her eyes fluttering closed and her smile grew as she examined it's sweet smell.

She took a sip and forced herself to set it down afterwards and not guzzle the contents quickly.

"Now that we are settled, let us get down to the reasons we are gathered today."

Kagome straightened.

"Kagome-sama, we would like to charge you with the task of finding the Jewel Shards. We will, of course, give you special diplomatic immunity to allow you to travel as you see fit to collect the shards."

"I accept this only that a condition of my own is met."

Now the Justices straightened, catching each other's eyes briefly. "And what is that, Kagome-sama?"

"I would like your permission to look through your libraries."

"Done." Spoke the eldest of the Justices. The middle-aged Justice spoke up, "Wasn't that just the slightest bit hasty, M'Writh?"

"No, her request is reasonable enough." The elderly Justice responded casually.

"But M'Writh!"

"Enough. The Libraries are my domain, and you know it. Now settle." He said, with a stern glare upon T'Ron.

Kagome, seeing that everything appeared to have settled again, spoke up. "Thank you. Then I accept your request."

M'Writh looked profoundly relieved. "No, thank you Kagome-sama."

"Well, now that you have accepted, please take these Shards off our hands." T'Ron finished with a bow of the head.

Kagome's head swung up, _'Shards? I didn't feel any Shards here.'_ She thought, craning her head around.

They set a box in front of her, it was covered with Youkai chains, the Youkai-form of Lamial Sutras. M'Writh pressed a button on top of the lock. The chains fell away, revealing an inky-black box. Kagome felt something ominous about the box, and just looking at it caused gooseflesh to rise on her skin.

All light seemed to be drawn into the box, and the room appeared significantly darker as the light appeared to be devoured by the box's aura.

"What… What is that?" She asked, stunned.

"It's a very handy device. It devours auras, and hides them within its own. We only have a few like it." G'Tan replied, a smug tone could be traced in his voice.

"Creepy…" Kagome whispered, as she peered at the box.

Now that it was in front of her eyes, she could sense the faint presence of three or four Jewel Shards within. She tentatively reached out and drew the box closer, and lifted the lid to reveal the Shards sitting on a bed of silk.

Two were tainted a dark pink, almost red, with a malignant aura. The third Shard was relatively pure, appearing pale pink almost white. The fourth was only light pink.

Tenderly, she reached for them and the Justices held their breath, their eyes trained on Kagome's face. Behind her, she could sense the guards tense up, gripping their pikes cautiously.

The closer her fingers came to the Shards, the two heavily tainted Shards quivered and edged away from her. The pure Shard edged towards her hand while the neutral Shard remained inert.

Kagome resolutely grasped first one tainted Shard, then the other tainted Shard with her fingertips, the Shards flared wildly at first before succumbing to her will and settling to the pure white-pink that they should be.

She then picked up the other two, the neutral pink flaring back white-pink.

"So you truly can purify the Shards. Amazing…" G'Tan whispered, his eyes were round.

The other two nodded in agreement, their eyes also wide in astonishment.

Kagome smiled at them as she drew out her leather pouch from around her neck. She opened it up and dropped the four Shards into the pouch, they clinked together and a soft hiss was heard as they fused with the rest of the Jewel. Kagome peered at the incomplete Jewel within, and made a few calculations from what she saw.

She looked up at the three Justices and smiled grimly. "Four more Shards, I think, then we can be rid of this thing."

"Indeed, we will be glad to see the last of it. Here is the scroll of diplomatic immunity you will need for your travels, and also the scroll charging you with the quest to collect the Shards. This should easily carry weight with anyone you come across who challenges your right to collect the Shards. As this is a grave task, a member of our organization shall accompany you on your journey to collect the Shards."

Kagome threw her head up, to look them in the eyes with her raptor gaze. She would have made Sesshoumaru proud with the look in her eye.

"Wait, a member of your 'organization'? What are we talking about here, T'Ron?" Kagome broke in, concern coloring her words.

"We shall be sending with you one of our most intelligent and gifted young scholars. It would be good practice for him. If his report of your journey is successful, he shall receive his true name and be allowed to grow his hair longer. He shall be made a fully-fledged Historian in his field of study."

"So I will have one more in my party whom I shall have to lookout for, another one I shall have to babysit?" Kagome ground out, not appreciating the burden placed upon her. "Sirs, with all due respect, the battles I shall be facing are not child's play. They will not be pleasant, or some walk in the park. It shall be extremely dangerous; he could get killed."

"Dearest Kagome-sama, we have faith in your battle prowess. Jageras are excellent guardians of their pack, you shall be no different. Come now, he can handle himself well enough, he scored top marks in his combat training, and self-defense classes.

"His sense of strategy is impeccable. According to his pedigree, he is seventy-seven percent Inu-Youkai, the other part is mostly Kurohyou-Youkai. He would be an ideal match for you. Kurohyou are rather placid towards Inu-Youkai naturally."

Kagome narrowed her eyes and growled. If she had a tail, it would be twitching right now. Never mind that she was a dog. Kagome and the Justices argued back and forth for several minutes. However, it seemed no matter what she said, they would not give up ground. At the end of her wits, she stood up, with a snarl, she accepted; and they smiled like Cheshire cats.

She stood outside the room, panting through gritted teeth. Her knuckles stood white against her clenched fists as she fought to control her anger. As she calmed herself down, her eyes darted to the boy crouched on his knees, eyeing her cautiously.

"Let's go, Finlar." She snapped. Angry that these Justices were going to throw that boy out with her during an intensely dangerous quest. They were mad, all of them. Crazy to the last drop to just toss this boy out into the world like that.

He trotted after her doggedly as she retraced her steps flawlessly back the way she had come earlier.

Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks and whirled on Finlar.

"Go to your room, you shall collect your things and meet me here. I will wait for you."

"Yes, my lady." The answer was quick, clear, and quiet.

"Do you have a weapon?"

"Yes, my-"

"Just call me Kagome, damn it!" She snapped irritably.

"Yes, Kagome-sama."

"_Just_ Kagome, got it?" She ground out, her eyes glittering.

"Yes, Kagome-sa…" She raised her head threateningly, her eyes glimmering.

"Get packing." She said quietly. As his swiftly-tapping feet faded into the distance, Kagome sighed.

She shouldn't take her ire out on the boy. He had not asked for this. Her eye twitched as she amended the thought. It had better have been a decision of the Justices to toss a boy into her small pack, no sane child should have asked for such a dangerous assignment.

It was those damn Justices that assigned him to her.

She would try her best to make sure he came to no harm.

Ten minutes later, approaching light foot-falls announced Finlar's return.

She threw an apologetic look his way, a silent apology which he might not understand. His sleek black hair framed his face and the golden eyes so reminiscent of Sesshoumaru.

He was dressed in a red-gold silk haori, with dark-brown hakamas, and a tan under-haori which he had tucked into his hakamas. He wore black boots which were laced tightly against his ankles.

A long daito was tied across his back with a red cord. As long as the blade was, he wasn't that much taller so Kagome couldn't really envision him actually using it.

"Did you say goodbye to your father? You may not get a chance later. My business here in Lyterna is finished, so my brother and I may be leaving sooner than you think."

"Yes, I have said goodbye to my family, Kagome-sa…Kagome. We said goodbye this morning, when I was chosen."

"Good then. We shall go, my brother awaits us outside."

They continued into the late afternoon sun, Sesshoumaru stood waiting. The tall silver-haired Lord raised an eyebrow at the young boy beside her, but said nothing.

When they arrived back at the Western tower, Shippo was there lounging in the family room and reading more of the tomes. This was a common sight, as recently Shippo hardly ever without some kind of document close at hand. Finlar dropped his stuff by the door, and servants came to remove it to the guest bedroom across from Shippo. Finlar and Shippo quickly became involved with a game of chess near the brazier, and Kagome had little time to figure and wonder about _how_ they managed to get a chess board over here.

Kagome drifted off to her room, she was not one to drink and all of the days' excitement made her feel extremely tired.

Darkness had already fallen, and suddenly there was the soft sound of young voices pricking her ears, and she moved to investigate. Kagome swung her head into the family room to see the boys still playing chess.

"…And that is check mate, my friend."

"Oh really? How is this?" There was a click as a piece was set firmly onto the stone board.

"How did you see that? Damn it!"

"And now I've won, do you yield?"

There was a short silence, "Yes… I'm tired."

One of the figures yawned sleepily. "Me too."

"It's time to rest for the night." She said, smiling.

"Bedtime already?" Shippo asked, his eyes wide and innocent looking.

"Yes." Kagome said firmly, long used to his antics.

"Okay… Come with me, Finlar, you can sleep in my bed with me."

Finlar followed behind Shippo without looking back. Kagome headed off to her room.

"Goodnight, Kagome!" They called from the stairway.

She smiled softly as she slipped into her room and shut the door.

Later that evening, Sesshoumaru again entered her room once again. He lay near her on the bed, but not too close. Never too close. He carefully ran his fingertips over her exposed arm, tracing the stripes on her wrists with curiosity which she didn't understand. He had his own wrist stripes adorning his arms, so she didn't see why it was so fascinating. She knew this was his way of apologizing for being to harsh on her earlier.

However, the movements of his fingers lulled her to sleep.

* * *

He was gone in the morning after she woke up again, her son kicking out in her belly. She growled softly, rolling over to settle the child. It never worked.

Kagome spent the next two days perusing the Central Tower Library, always with the company of Finlar and M'Writh. The books and scrolls there were nothing like what she had found in the Library in the Western or Eastern Towers.

These books were obscure in their meanings, and many appeared blank to most eyes. But even though they appeared blank, the servants and scribes understood the reason why; the supposedly blank books were books bound with magic for those with magic, and no one else. They were inscribed by powerful Youkai-Mages in the past, and they were not meant to be read by any who didn't have the power.

Kagome found few books of instruction, or any histories. What she found disturbed and fascinated her on many levels. The books she found in plenty were not histories or manuscripts; these were books of prophecy. The further she read into them, the more disquieted she became.

The first several books she found were several thousand years old, they were perfectly preserved; the magic protecting them from unwanted eyes also protected them from aging as well. They foretold of events that happened several millennia after they were written. And also things that had seemingly not yet happened yet. It told of Inutaishou being betrayed by Ryuukotsusei. Of Naraku's rise to power, and even his downfall. It spoke of her, the girl born from the Earth to answer to the Earth.

Other lines told her of other things, though it was impossible to tell of the timeline. Different happenings all around Japan, and surrounding continents. Mainly China, Mongolia, and Korea. She recognized some of them, others she wasn't too sure of. History wasn't her strong suit, after all.

As she read through the different lines of the book in her hands, one passage in particular caught her attention and she paused. "'White blade'?" She whispered under her breath as she read it again.

"_Of all that is left, but a single one born of the magic to bring forth reality will remain alive when the Chimes' threat is ended. Therefore comes the deeper darkness of the dead. Should the forces of forfeit be loosed, the world will be shadowed yet by darker lust through what has been rent. Salvation's hope, then, will be as slim as the white blade of the one born true. For there to be a chance at life's breath, the Key to the Heavens must be allowed to sing free."_

She sat back after reading that one, furrowing her brows. _A single one born of the magic to bring forth reality when the Chime's threat it ended._ Who could that be? Dare she possibly think it could be her? _Born of the magic_, she was not born of this magic was she? What are the Chimes? From how it was spelled, there was more than one. How did her father used to describe souls? As musical entities, each with its own tone and sound. Would a chime be another word for a soul? What on earth could the white blade be?

For some reason, her thoughts strayed to Sesshoumaru's sword, Tensaiga, and it's sudden and keen interest in her. But that was silly, that sword was not white, and she had never seen it ever do anything like turning white. It's soul pulsed blue.

Thoughts came back to her of talking to her mother, asking for the origin of her name.

"_Well, Kagome. When you were born, and I held you in my arms, a light shone from you. It took the shape of a design, a rune, and that shape is called a 'Kagome.' The design is a particularly beautiful one, and your father approved of the name for you. He was so speculative, now that I think on it… Such an ageless look entered his eyes."_

Perhaps she was born of the magic. Perhaps they meant of another, it would be foolish to think it might be her, when it might not be.

What was the Chimes, what could they be about? She reflexively grasped the Jewel hanging from her neck. She found herself doing that often as she worked out something difficult. She searched the book for more references to the Chimes, but found little in that book.

Finally, she turned to M'Writh. "M'Writh, have you ever heard of the Chimes?"

M'Writh looked up at her slowly from the scroll he was reading. His whole body spoke of caution. "The Chimes. You mean, the Four Chimes? Where did you learn that?"

Kagome gestured to the book, "The book…had written something about them, but not much else. What is it?"

M'Writh grunted, his brows furrowed as he sat up straighter. "Well, there is a story that is told, about _The_ Four Chimes. "

Kagome's eyes lit up, finally something!

"I would like to hear that tale, M'Writh, if you would." She replied, settling herself across from him at the table.

"Well, the tale tells of four Chimes known as Tarasi, Vantrosi, Raechani, and Nasi. Now, the Chimes are a terribly cruel bunch. Needlessly sadistic, and mischievous, they are Underworld creatures. Born of the Sentry himself. They bear hatred for those living, especially pregnant females, and children, and find the most gruesome ways to kill their victims. They devour all magic, by simply being there.

"Respectively they are queens of their elements; being fire, water, air, and spirit. Histories tell of a Youkai-Mage who summoned the Chimes into this world, and they devoured him, and dragged his soul back to the Underworld. None ever dared to try and summon them again, no reason to do so. Though there are some beings who wish to drag the entire world of Life into the Underworld, and they are known as Children of the Dark. They serve the Keeper, the Nameless One, and he grants them powerful magic in order to fulfill his wish; to end the World of Life. He craves life, all life."

"Children of the Dark… They don't sound friendly at all, M'Writh."

"Indeed." He gave her a long hard look, "They are some of the most callous denizens in this world. Pray to your ancestors that you never meet one."

He cleared his throat and took a bite of his slice of buttered bread. "Legend has it at the height of the Revolt of the Lamials against the Youkai Archon and his Duarchs the leader of the revolt, Midoriko, unleashed the—"

Kagome broke in, alarm coloring her tone, "wait, did you say Midoriko, as in the Warrior-Priestess Midoriko?"

M'Writh furrowed his brows at having been interrupted.

"Yes, the same. The 'Oh-So Glorious' Miko and Champion of the Humans, Warrior-Priestess Shayol Midoriko. Now quit interrupting, it ruins the flow of the story. Ah-ah! Save your questions!"

He held up his hand, demanding silence. Kagome pouted, but held her silence.

"Now where was I? Oh yes, so Midoriko unleashed the Four Chimes into the World of Life, the fool girl was so confident in her power, she set no boundaries to the Chimes and they ravaged the lands. The Four Chimes wrecked true and absolute havoc and chaos for a year or more; they completely absorbed all magic thrown at them. They were unstoppable.

"They killed humans and youkai alike."

M'Writh paused to sip his water. Kagome was pale, as the thought of such terrible beings performing such ghastly acts played through her mind. To think it had been the spirit of that woman who had guided her and her companions in their journey.

"Later, an elderly Lamial with the help of a Mage-Youkai was said to have uncovered the insidious plot and trapped the Chimes inside a cave, where he later lured Midoriko in as well. There, he enticed the Chimes to attack Midoriko. The Four Chimes were trapped by this man in bodies resembling the elements they commanded, appearing as strange youkai in beast form, so it was easy for the man to trick Midoriko into attacking the Chimes.

"There in that cave, Midoriko and the Chimes battled, and as the Chimes fought to consume the one who enslaved them, the man bound the Chimes and Midoriko together… Compressing and binding them within. The resulting entity…the result was the Jewel of Four Chimes, or as we would call it, the Jewel of Four Souls."

Kagome clutched the Jewel tightly in her fist. Her new knowledge of what the Jewel was unnerved her. She had always known it was a terrible thing, filled with four unbelievably cruel and sadistic souls… but this was sickening. It completely shook her.

"M'Writh, if it is the Jewel of Four Chimes, where is Midoriko?"

"Hmm…She was consumed by the Chimes, body and soul. It is said Tarasi, the embodiment of fire carries her image. It is also said that her blood gave the Jewel its pink hue, and as the Jewel becomes more and more tainted, the more of Midoriko's blood is spilled in their eternal conflict. As the Jewel remains pure, all four Chimes are at peace."

"So the madness that youkai experience, that all beings experience, is power borrowed from the Chimes, because they want to be released onto the world?" Kagome said, her mind numb as the implications set in.

"The Chimes absorb magic. They are still hurting the world now!" Kagome said in a shocked whisper, as she held up the pouch containing the Jewel. Sesshoumaru was wrong.

"As long as this Jewel remains in existence, the Chimes will be free on the world." She turned fearful eyes upon M'Writh, "Do you believe this is so, M'Writh?"

The elderly Justice looked pensive for some time. "It is entirely possible that this is so. Entirely possible, but that would mean that the Jewel doesn't contain the Four Chimes, it only limits their influence in the world."

Kagome nodded, then paused as a thought struck her.

"M'Writh, what was the name of the Lamial man who trapped Midoriko with the Chimes?"

"Oh, I believe his name was Ishamael, he was"

Again he was interrupted by Kagome, "Ishamael the Deceiver? That Ishamael?"

"Yes, Kagome-sama, _that_ Ishamael."

"I read about him in the Youkai history Sesshoumaru gave to me, I had no idea he was involved with Midoriko."

"It goes deeper than that. Midoriko and Ishamael were father and daughter."

Kagome's head shot up, "what the hell?" she hissed.

M'Writh nodded his head sadly.

"It is a sad story, she was his oldest daughter. After he realized what his daughter had become, what she had done and her role in the revolt, he also found out that she had unleashed the Chimes and controlled them. He set out to stop her, and in the end, the only way to stop her was to feed her to the Underworld beings she had enslaved."

"That is horrible…" Kagome whispered, a hand covering her mouth, "His own daughter…that is so sad, what kind of father would kill his own daughter?"

"A man faced with the horrible truth that his sweet and unassuming daughter was a genocidal monster who had unleashed evil in its purest form upon the world." He said gruffly.

Kagome thought she was going to be sick. The past specter of Midoriko, her guide during her human days with Inuyasha, was the true monster of the past, the true orchestrator of ruin across the Japan and the world.

"Kagome? What's wrong? You look as if you have seen a ghost." M'Writh stated, "did my story affect you so much?"

Kagome turned her head toward him slowly, dazed. She stood up and began setting the books back into neat stacks on the table. In her rush, she failed to notice when a small, thin book fell into her side pocket as she carried the heavy books in her arms and set them hurriedly onto the table.

"I'm sorry, M'Writh, I can't explain, but I have to go right now! Your story was wonderful, and thank you!"

"But what is the matter, what is it? You didn't know that was what the Jewel was?" M'Writh asked, bewildered. Finlar, at seeing Kagome rushing about, put up his own traveling scroll he was working on and hurriedly packed up.

By the time Kagome was out the door, Finlar was at her heels like a personal shadow.

"Kagome-sama, what is going on!" Finlar asked urgently as they trotted doggedly through the halls, flash-stepping was strictly forbidden inside the Central Tower.

"Haven't I told you to stop calling me that, Finlar?" She growled.

"Yes, but that's not the point right now, my lady. What is the matter? What happened back there?"

"What do you mean? Nothing happened." Kagome replied, distantly.

As soon as they passed the threshold of the Western Door that led to the Western Tower, Kagome and Finlar flitted in a whirl of wind. Leaves scattered in their wake as they flash-stepped across the broad lawn back to the Western Tower.

The door banged open, announcing their arrival as Kagome raced through and down the hall to Sesshoumaru's study. She didn't wait for him to form a reply as she pulsed her energy through to unlock the door and entered.

Sesshoumaru was calmly reading, as if she had not just barged in. He had his side facing her as he read through a scroll.

"Sesshoumaru, something big is happening, and I think I know what it is!" Kagome said in a rush.

Sesshoumaru paused in the middle of reading through the report that had just arrived from Lysia, and signed by both Tobiume and Zhimkah.

"Explain this 'something,' then. What is going on?"

"This is something that goes back thousands of years, and is still going on today. The reason there are no Youkai in my time!"

"Pray, tell me then what it is?"

"The Four Chimes!" Kagome said exuberantly, as if that explained everything.

"Those were sealed away millennia ago, within…I see, the Jewel." Sesshoumaru blinked, as the legend ran through his mind, "I see, please go on."

"Through the ages, because the Jewel remained in this world, the Chimes were never truly banished. They have always been in the world of life from the moment of their creation into this world, their influence on the world never ceased. It was only dampened because they had been sealed within the ball, the Jewel of Four Souls, or as it really is, the Jewel of Four Chimes.

"The Chimes are beings of the Underworld, they devour all magic and life. They are what is killing the world." Her eyes blazed triumphantly. "When I complete this Jewel, I shall bring about its true destruction, and cast it into oblivion."

Sesshoumaru, for once in his life, was speechless; never had he imagined that the inimical beings, so truly evil and devious could still have been in existence all this time. To learn that they had never been truly banished by Ishamael, with the help of one of the last Mage-Youkai in existence was shocking.

"But Sesshoumaru, remember who Midoriko was in that story?" His eyes shot over to hers, as she regained his attention and broke through his thoughts.

"Who?"

"The leader in the revolt of the Lamials, she was also the one who unleashed the Chimes upon the world. I think she made some kind of contract with them, in order to enslave them, and they would help her overthrow the Youkai, in return for their help, they were allowed to run freely across the world."

Kagome's hand covered her mouth again, and her eyes squeezed shut.

"Oh Sesshoumaru, I think I'm going to be sick. Sesshoumaru, that last battle with Naraku, I think we were set up. I think we had fallen into a trap, and never knew it. M'Writh told me that Midoriko had been consumed by the Chime Tarasi, soul and all."

"What about it?"

"Sesshoumaru, recall the strange ghostly lady who would appear at times and give us advice?"

Sesshoumaru tilted his head in thought before nodding once.

"I don't think that was really Midoriko." She whispered. He blinked once, then his eyes widened almost imperceptibly.

* * *

Kagome looked up at him, her eyes full of horror.

"Sesshoumaru, those Chimes are very close to escaping. With the Jewel incomplete, the seal that contains them is very weak."

"So it is not the Lamials that is draining the world of magic; it is the Chimes, and has been all along." Sesshoumaru whispered, his face neutral. The fact was that the world was in even greater peril than before, and none had ever made the connection.

"Amaterasu, save us." He whispered. So shocked was he, he called out to his ancestress, the Sun God. He even felt the urge to complete a Devotion, to seek the peace that it always instilled in him as a boy.

He turned away from her to look out the window, the sun was shining on the late spring day. Birds sang and youkai were laughing and going about their business as usual. There were even a few young youkai running about, laughing and scampering through the lawns. Everything looked so peaceful.

The world was balancing on the edge of a knife. They were running out of time.

"Kagome," Sesshoumaru said, turning around to face her. His mind was made up, nothing could waver his decision now. Kagome lifted her head and looked him in the eyes; a silent invitation for him to continue, a look of awe in her eyes that he had called her by name.

"Do all that you think is necessary."

Kagome swallowed, taken aback by his words.

"Of…Of course, Sesshoumaru."

He walked towards her and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Don't ever hesitate, and trust in your instincts; they've been right so far. Just…" Here he sighed, "Just don't be careless."

Kagome blushed, "I won't, you have my word."

"Right now, the world is at stake; your first priority should be reclaiming the rest of the shards. The Jewel must be destroyed. Do you understand?"

Kagome looked slightly puzzled, "Of course I do, Sesshoumaru, that has always been my goal."

* * *

Chapter Fini. Move down to that button in the middle and click it to leave a note for me; write whatever you like. Love it, hate it, whatnot. Just stop griping at me. And then! Go read Chapter Eleven!


	11. The Kin who Hunts Us

**Disclaimer: I own nothing; this plot is my own. To twist and turn as I will it. But in the end, it is still not mine.**

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**Talga Vassternich**

Translation: Deserve Victory.

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Explanation: _"Be justified in your convictions. Be completely committed. Earn what you want and need rather than waiting for others to give you what you desire."_ –Naked Empire, Chapter 61, page 626. Terry Goodkind.

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Chapter Eleven: Treacherous Relations

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That night, her dreams were plagued with images of a child, sometimes the eyes were gold, other times they were green. Sometimes, the child had violet eyes, which was the strangest of all. But no matter what the child looked like, he always wore those markings._ His _markings.

Finally, in the wee hours of the early morning, she lay awake, her hands splayed across her stomach while she felt her son wiggle about enthusiastically. She gave up on sleeping for the rest of the evening, contemplating his words to her before they both retired for the night.

If it was indeed his son, there's no way she could flee. There was no way she could run. No matter how she looked at it, with this new realization, it was just wrong. It would be a treacherous breach of trust, and after all Sesshoumaru had done for her there was no way she could so coldly leave.

Not after that.

No matter what Inuyasha meant to her, she had to accept the fact that she was still clinging to his specter. What was it was made her so doggedly disregard Sesshoumaru's advances? That man risked everything for her, had saved her life countless times, and was always looking out for her while still letting her have her freedom.

If she was carrying his son, she couldn't do such a dastardly thing as leave. She sure as hell couldn't do something twice as cruel such as ignore him or disregard his advances anymore. Carrying his son changed everything.

Everything Inuyasha had told her about his brother was wrong. He was not manipulative, nor was he unnecessarily cruel. His servants loved him, and were exceptionally loyal to him, and that was for a good reason, and it was quite simple.

He was a good man.

It surprised and amazed her how tender and kind he was to Rin, and how patient he was when he was making her learn her letters, and how to count. It was so extraordinary, it made her wonder how he'd act with his own pups some day. The respect and admiration his men had for him was phenomenal, and the villages who were under his watch also loved him. It was strange really. How could such a cold figure, who regularly made death-threats with a glance, and always carried an invisible scowl could have the love of his people?

Kagome had spent months trying to figure out why they loved him. Why they remained loyal to such a cruel man. But the further she had dug into the matter, the more simple and startling the result. They loved him because as cold as he was, he never lied to them. Sesshoumaru never failed in his duties as a lord to keep his people safe, and resolve the disputes of the countryside. He would usually come in person to hear the matter out, and if he couldn't come, he would send Kagome herself.

In the end, he had won Kagome's respect and admiration. But she hadn't really thought about it then. It was a simple matter. He was her dead-husband's brother, it was natural for her to respect and admire the man. She trusted him with her life, and with her sons life. As did everyone else.

The reason? It was simple again. He was a good man.

So Kagome lay there in the bed, as the first light of dawn began to brush the top of her curtains, that she would give Sesshoumaru a better chance than she had been giving him. As she resolved to do this, she found herself stunned that she had treated him as unfairly as she had in the past.

She had been gracious and polite, yes. But she had never really opened up to him, and get to know him. Let him get to know her.

Kagome sat up, and pushed her way out of her bed, shuffling into the bathroom to complete her daily ablutions. When finished, she dressed in the maroon shihakusho with the emblem of the Western Lands emblazoned on the front and sleeves with the golden knots on her left shoulder signifying her rank.

Shippo and Sesshoumaru were waiting in the entrance hall, Sesshoumaru was also wearing his formal maroon robes as the head of state. Shippo was wearing the red shihakusho Kagome had bought him the day before. At a nod from Sesshoumaru, they headed out the door.

They walked up the stone pathway towards the Council Chamber of Lyterna, but took a right to circumvent the amphitheater-like building.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, what exactly goes on in that building?" Kagome asked, eying the building with awe.

"That is the grand council chamber, historians and council members reside within. We shall be going there about Hikaru's case over his disappearance. We shall also be confronting the Lord of the Northern Lands there."

Kagome frowned as she gazed upon the building, her steps slowing unnoticeably as she drifted in thought. Abruptly, she blinked back to the present and ran to catch up to Sesshoumaru and Shippo. Shippo looked back at her, and Kagome could see the worry in his eyes.

How could she have forgotten about the situation with Shippo? The child was going in this morning to meet parents he didn't know he had. There was also the case of his amnesia, and whether that was caused through malicious intent.

Poor Shippo, to not remember his own name, and origins. She walked faster and fell in step with the young fox kit. He smiled up at her timidly, which she returned, trying to put forth all of her love and pride into that single look, that single smile.

Something glinted up in a window to their left, Kagome's eyes reflexively darted toward it just as the soft whistle of a crossbow bolt sailing through the air. Time seemed to slow down, Kagome watched the trajectory of the bolt as it moved not toward her, but toward Shippo where he walked next to her. She could see his eyes grow wide with fear as he realized the danger.

Kagome reached out her hand and caught the collar of his shihakusho and yanked him down behind herself as she drew her katana with the other, aiming to cut it out of the air as she crouched in front of the child.

Abruptly, a large shadow covered their forms, as Sesshoumaru moved in front of them.

His blade whistled through the air and destroyed the bolt when it came within reach. Even as that bolt was destroyed, the twang from many other bows being released, followed by the sharp whistles of several projectiles reached their ears. The northern half of the sky suddenly dimmed for a moment.

Sesshoumaru glanced back at them, anger sparking in his eyes.

"Get to the Eastern Tower!"

The order made sense, they were too far from their own tower to be able to make it to safety.

Kagome nodded and scooped up the kit in her arms before flitting to the tall gates of the Eastern Tower, she could hear the cracking of many more bolts and the sound of his footsteps on her heels as Sesshoumaru destroyed them before they reached her and Shippo. Wall guards allowed them in hurriedly, the kitsunes on the alert and gazing towards the Northern Tower with plain distaste.

Sesshoumaru arrived just behind them as they reached the entrance hall, and they were ushered inside out of sight. Calls rang out and more guards trooped up onto the walls, bristling with weapons. The gates to the Tower slammed shut with finality, and Kagome felt a small measure of relief well up inside. The guards looked frightened and anxious as they looked on.

The trio were led through the entrance hall and into a dim sitting room, where a fire was burning merrily. Servants rushed about, setting out tea and cakes. Sesshoumaru moved stiffly into the room, his swords already sheathed once again. Once they were settled in the room, Sesshoumaru declining the offer to sit, Preferring to stand near the fireplace in the dim room, his back to the fire.

Kagome frowned at him, something wasn't right. His eyes were still and stony, his movements were strange, like he was someone else entirely. She stepped closer to him,

One of the side doors opened, admitting a worn demon with worry-lines etched into his visage wearing long purple robes. Concern seemed permanently to crease his brows, he was attended to by a young lieutenant wearing dark-green.

Upon seeing Sesshoumaru, his eyes brightened with recognition, "Sesshoumaru-sama! I am told there was an attempt at murder as you walked in broad daylight. Is everyone…" His words trailed off as his gaze settled upon Shippo.

"Is this Hikaru?" The demon crouched on the ground before Shippo, his eyes bright and sharp as he peered at him. "I should have known he'd choose a shape like that. Clever boy."

Shippo looked at him uncertainly, it was plain to see the man was truly interested to see him. He looked up at Kagome for reassurance, before turning back to the crouching demon. He frowned and dipped his head.

"I am sorry, sir. I do not remember anything from before I was found. That was fifteen years ago."

The older demon nodded, his eyes belying his pain.

"I read the report. You have acute memory loss, I just thought to try and jog your memory. Here, embrace me little son. Let me smell you, as you still don't really look like my son. Markings like that just don't disappear and I remember yours."

Shippo moved forward, carefully stepping into his reach and allowed himself to be embraced. Kagome watched the exchange, eying the other youkai carefully.

As Shippo gave a timid sniff, it amazed him how utterly familiar the older Youkai's scent was. Most startling of all, smelling the Youkai's scent and recognizing it as similar to his own. This was the trigger he needed, it was the key to unlock everything.

With that recognition, he gasped in surprise as a memory bubbled to the surface.

_He was an infant in the arms of a much happier and younger Kitsune Taiyoukai. Laughing as his father tossed him up into the air, wild elation blossomed in his chest and he gurgled with joy._

That memory was closely followed with another moment, sight and sound was blurred and very low pitched, he could smell though. And the scents that hit his nose were known to him from before he had entered the world.

_Mother._

_Father._

_Uncle._

He blinked, Sesshoumaru was right. He did remember the day he was born. And now, as more memories came in fits and starts, he was beginning to remember everything. Moving backwards from the moment of his disappearance to the time he fell off the fence and landed on his rump while running from the cook. Berry juice making his fingers sticky.

His breath caught as dread pooled in his stomach.

"…Where is father?"

The older Youkai responded by holding him tighter.

Shippo tried to pull away from the older Youkai. Now that his memories were back, his reasons for suppressing them also came back.

"… Where's mother? Let me go, Kagome help me, please!"

"Stop struggling, pup. I am your uncle, now stop this nonsense, and come with me quietly. No more foolishness." The youkai growled warningly.

Without even thinking about it, Kagome's aura flared up, and she snarled. Stalking forward, she grasped Shippo by the back of the shirt and tugged him away from the Youkai. She just knew this was going to end badly. Shippo responded by whimpering softly, and twisting in her grasp to cling to her neck. She stepped back from the Youkai cautiously, turning her body to put herself between the Youkai and Shippo.

"You are not his father." She spoke in a low and dangerous tone. The Youkai straightened and raised his hands away from himself in a placating manner.

"Ah, you must be Sesshoumaru-Sama's sister. I have heard of you, Sesshoumaru recently sent us a missive."

Kagome's eyes narrowed slightly, and she stepped back towards Sesshoumaru. "Who are you?"

His green eyes twinkling, the youkai replied. "I am Lord Suoh Temoiya, brother to Lord Yaruko Temoiya. Now hand me over my nephew."

Kagome stiffened, and her head came up. "I will not. For now, he stays with me."

"Oh, be reasonable. Are you sure you can back up that statement, Kagome-sama? You should ask your Alpha first."

Kagome's gaze flicked back to Sesshoumaru standing upright and still then back at Suoh. "I will not give him up."

The youkai snarled, "Girl, you will hand that boy over now! I've searched for him two long decades, I have spent vast resources searching for his hairy hide. Now give him over!"

Kagome backed up some more, her eyes wide. Hikaru trembled clung to her tighter, hiding himself under her hair, "Please don't let him have me, Kagome…"

"The kit stays with us." Sesshoumaru's cool baritone made Kagome flinch and relax all at once. She moved back to stand next to him.

"Now Sesshoumaru, be reasonable. I am perfectly capable of taking charge of the kit."

"No, Lord Suoh. He comes with us, we are to hand him over to his father and mother. Nothing in my missive did I say I was going to hand him over to his uncle. We are leaving."

With that, Sesshoumaru touched Kagome's shoulder lightly, and she moved with him to the door. He pushed her out ahead of himself, and looked back at Lord Suoh standing there stormily.

"If you ever speak to Kagome in that manner again, I will disembowel you. She is mine, you will not touch nor speak to her unless I will it."

As soon as they stepped into the courtyard, the other foxes flicked their gaze over them, and then looked away as they registered them as not being a threat.

The guards swiftly opened the gates at Sesshoumaru's stormy glare, and they swept through. Kagome trotted next to him, Shippo still hiding under her hair. They picked up their pace, and flitted across the grounds, anxious about another possible attack.

As soon as they made it back to the Western Tower, Shippo squealed with joy.

"Oh, thank you! Thank you, Kagome! You saved me, that man scares the living daylights out of me, I don't trust him at all, especially after what happened…"

Kagome smiled down at him, feeling relieved that she had been able to escape with the kit unharmed. She looked up when she heard Sesshoumaru stagger, and a heavy thump as his hand connected with the wall. Alarmed, she focused on the Taiyoukai before her, as his hand trembled and his mouth gaped.

Abruptly, she stopped when the coppery-tang of blood caught her nose and Sesshoumaru shifted his body just enough to let her see the crossbow bolt protruding from his shoulder.

Her eyes went wide with terror, "Sesshoumaru-sama!"

His eyes flicked toward her face and allowed the tiniest amount of pain to show up in his eyes, "We need a medic, Sesshoumaru-sama has been hurt!"

Kagome grasped his other arm and led him over to his bedroom just down the hall, and she realized he was in a daze, his movements were slow, and sluggish, none of his usual grace. When they passed through the doors into his room, Kagome's eyes swept the surroundings with a cursory glance. She had never been in his rooms before. The walls were painted a deep mellow gold that was easy on the eyes.

She tugged Sesshoumaru over to his bed and pushed him to sit down on the futon on the ground. Hikaru and Finlar hovered nearby, looking anxious and upset over the injured Alpha. When they came too close, Sesshoumaru growled softly, earning him a sharp tap from Kagome. His eyes momentarily tinted red before he closed them and took a deep breath and relaxed.

Carefully, she examined the wound, trying to sniff out poison. She drew her head back, her nose wrinkled. He reeked of poison, she wondered how she could have missed it earlier.

"Sesshoumaru, I need to pull this out. You've been poisoned though. I don't know if I can help. I'm not a Venomer." Her hands shook as she peeled away his haori. She whimpered when his left shoulder was finally exposed, and saw the black spider-webbing veins branching out from the wound.

He whispered something, she had seen his lips move but she couldn't quite catch what was said. She paused and leaned her head toward him, "Hmm?"

His lips moved again, his eyes on her appearing slightly glazed and staring off into the distance.

"… me." She blinked numbly. "Kiss me…" he whispered again.

She glared at him heatedly, exasperated at his request at a time like this, really! The nerve of him!

"Sesshoumaru, now really isn't the time for foolishness."

"Just… kiss me, girl." He struggled, she frowned at him.

"Fine. Can you guys please leave the room for a moment? I can only heal him if you leave."

Shippo and Finlar nodded and left. Kagome followed them to the door and locked it behind them, then she turned on Sesshoumaru. She crouched in front of him and took his face tenderly in her hands.

Hesitantly, she lowered her lips to his and kissed him as sweetly as she could. His opposite hand came up suddenly and caught the back of her neck, his thumb brushed just under her ear and his fingers curved around to press against the other side of her neck.

Carefully, slowly, he turned her head to a better angle and licked her lower lip. Kagome opened for him and his tongue delved into her mouth, he gave a groaning shudder and his hand on her tightened, drawing her closer to him. Kagome's hands brushed tentatively against his chest and curled carefully around his neck. Kagome allowed his tongue to explore her, there was something tangy and sharp about the taste of him this time, different from all the other times he had kissed her.

Venom!

He was coating her mouth with venom! She relaxed into the kiss, as she understood what he was doing. Suddenly, he broke off the kiss and pulled away. Kagome felt a surge of disappointment, and could not keep the look of longing from her eyes.

There was a muted gleam in his eye that told her he had seen her expression and she inwardly cursed, he would never let her live this down.

"Now… Remove the bolt, and lick the injury. This should work. It will negate the poison."

Kagome did as she was bid, she stood in front of him, slightly to the left for a better angle with which to observe the wound. After studying the fletching, she figured out how to remove the bolt with the least damage. She twisted the bolt to the right, and Sesshoumaru convulsively grasped her hip in his claws.

Kagome suppressed a yelp of pain as his claw-tips dug into her hip. She pulled sharply on the bolt and with a sickening squelch, it pulled free.

Sesshoumaru gave a snarl of pain and instead of digging in further he released her hip to grip the couch.

With the bolt out, she examined the steel-capped head to see that an oily dark sheen coating the metal.

Kagome grasped his shoulder to hold him steady as she began licking the wound, the blood caused her mouth to salivate with the healing serum.

The bitter taste made Kagome want to recoil and retch, but as the saliva worked its way around into the wound and sink in to the flesh, Sesshoumaru began to breathe easier. The ashen pallor beginning to lift from his body.

Kagome continued to lick clean the wound until the blood ran clean and finally stopped as the cells began to regenerate. All the while Sesshoumaru leaned his head against Kagome's side, eyes closed.

Deciding she was finished, Kagome leaned away to crouch in front of him, curling her arms around his middle.

"Sesshoumaru, I was so scared. I was afraid I would lose you or something."

Sesshoumaru just sighed, eyes still closed. "I cannot die so easily. I did not will it so I did not."

Kagome frowned, "That doesn't even make sense."

Then her eyes narrowed, "Was it necessary to kiss me?"

Sesshoumaru quirked a half-smile and his eyes took on a strangely mischievous glint.

"Not really, but your lips are definitely sweeter than spitting into a glass."

Kagome pursed her lips, and glared. "Perhaps you do have a fever." She stood up and walked away from him.

The medic knocked on the door after that and Kagome took the supplies from the healer. When he made to protest, she smiled at him and said, "I shall be taking care of his wounds, do not worry yourself."

Kagome locked the door once again and turned to face the Demon Lord once again. She saw that while her back had been turned, he had tugged down his haori to let it drift down around his waist.

She blinked, and saw that the black spider-webbing of veins had receded as to be near non-existent. She inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. That injury had been a terrifying thing, she didn't want to face the thought of losing Sesshoumaru. He was her rock, her anchor. If he was gone, she didn't know what she was going to do with herself.

She moved forward and his eyes followed her, the golden orbs burning. His haori was draped around his waist, leaving his torso bare before her.

Kagome blushed, realizing this was the first time she had seen him even half-way undressed. It was with avid fascination that she noticed the same tattoos on his cheeks and wrists also marked his sides and she found herself wondering how far they extended, hers certainly didn't extend that far. Gathering her resolve, she walked towards him, the little clay pot of healing balm in one hand, and the rolls of silk in the other.

She sat down beside him, and he relaxed, leaning his injured side toward her. She dipped her fingers into the pot and began smearing the salve into the wound.

"So, now it is my turn to heal you."

His eyes shot across to her lowered lashes as she focused carefully on applying the ointment, "Yes, I suppose it is." He agreed.

After she was finished tying off the bandage, Sesshoumaru stood up, pulling on his haori and tying it closed securely. It was strange, even as she watched, Sesshoumaru's wound had been closing up as his own regenerating abilities took effect.

"What do you think about Hikaru-Sama's words, do you think it is possible such a plot could occur within his own family?"

Kagome found the idea disturbing. Sure, Sesshoumaru had long plotted his brother's death, but it had been something he grew out of. In the end, Sesshoumaru had tried to save his brother and had been dismayed at his half-brother's death.

"I am worried, I admit. His words, every one, was saturated with conviction and truth. This Sesshoumaru believes it best to accompany him to the Eastern Lands, and aid young Hikaru-sama." Kagome nodded, feeling glad in her heart that this would be the best course of action.

"My thoughts exactly, Sesshoumaru-Sama. We shall get to the bottom of this."

Sesshoumaru shook his head, "No, not we. You. You shall accompany him, I shall arrive later. I have something that may help us with finding the truth. Run ahead if you have to, just don't let Suoh catch up to you."

Kagome blinked, _'going in alone?'_ As apprehensive as she felt about entering a potential snakes' nest alone, she trusted Sesshoumaru.

"Yes, my lord."

"Be careful around Lord Suoh, he has always put me ill at ease, and I have always trusted my gut instinct. Do not trust him."

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama." She inquired, frowning.

* * *

They entered the family room, Hikaru was kicking his feet as he read a tome.

Hikaru looked up as they entered, "About time you finished, Kagome. I worried that it was more serious than it appeared."

Kagome gave him a dry look, "Because crossbow bolts sticking out of a person is completely normal. But this one was serious."

"Oh? How so?"

"This bolt had been poisoned; not so easy to shrug off, Shippo."

He raised one finger into the air, "Shippo is not my name. It was an alias to protect myself, besides, it's my middle name. Mother gave it to me, she said that where she came from, everyone had middle names."

"Right. Hikaru, my apologies."

"You said it had been poisoned?"

"Yes, it appeared to be a retardant to his regenerative abilities, and sending him into a mind-numbing paralysis, as well as immobilizing him."

Hikaru frowned, "That's… Disturbing. I will need to look into that. Can I see that bolt?"

Kagome frowned, "Sure, just don't cut yourself on it." She handed over the inimical bolt, the metal glinting dully in the lamplight.

After a series of tests, it was decided that the compound used to make the poison had been a combination of _Dog's Bane_ and another set of substances. Quite a serious poison against the canine breeds of youkai.

Hikaru looked up at Kagome, "_Dog's Bane_ always turns yellow when mixed with this agent. But I don't understand why it turned purple in this agent. Unless it is a mixture of different poisons… Ah! You talked about a regenerative retardant. Perhaps that's it, I need to consult those medical files of mother's."

* * *

Several hours later, the Guard of Lyterna had reported that the attackers had been apprehended and were currently being detained. Though none of the Youkai prisoners were talking, not even to admit which land they hailed from.

Kagome had concerns over whether Sesshoumaru and her were the targets or they had been targeting Hikaru. Both the Western Lands and the Eastern Lands had enemies it appeared.

It seemed prudent to visit them. They would be executed before too long; Lyterna was a neutral city, and retaliated brutally to any actions of violence.

Sesshoumaru was off the hook because he had only defended himself, Kagome, and Hikaru.

Kagome stared into the flames that night, the perpetrators had not said a word. No matter what she and Sesshoumaru had tried. Even mentioning Hikaru had no effect. It was very troubling.

"Kagome-sama, may I have a word with you?" Hikaru's voice was soft.

Kagome looked up, "Certainly, Hikaru-sama."

Hikaru settled down next to her on the couch, the room was dark save for the fire and he curled his tail about himself as he curled up beside her.

"I need help, Kagome-sama, and you're the only one who can help me." His eyes were serious and pleading in the firelight.

Kagome looked back down at him, frowning. "What do you need me to do?"

"I need you to help me break through a barrier."

"A barrier, what makes you think I can help? Inuyasha was the one who could… Oh! Tetsusaiga, of course! You need Tetsusaiga to break the barrier. Right?"

"Not that kind of barrier, Kagome-sama. I need your help to break a barrier in _me._"

Alarm surged through Kagome. "Hikaru-sama, what are you saying?"

"Kagome-sama, let me explain. Sixteen years ago, my adoptive parents found me lying broken at the bottom of a waterfall near their home. After nursing me back to health, and allowing me to recover, they heard me out and believed me. They offered a way to help me throw off the assassins."

Kagome looked back into the flames, this was starting to make sense. Why Hikaru as a prince didn't look similar to his uncle, and had fox-feet.

"They placed a barrier on my blood, sealing and denying me most of my power and leaving me with nothing but the simple spells and youki attacks like fox-fire and mere pranks. They also placed a barrier on my memories, leaving the trigger with my family's scent. That was why my uncle was able to break it."

"So this is why you still don't smell like yourself?"

"Correct." Hikaru nodded sharply.

"So what makes you think I can break the barrier?"

"Because you're a priestess, Kagome! After Megasuhei's death, it grew even stronger. I am certain it can break it."

Kagome looked down at her hands resting in her lap. "I dunno, last time I used my power, I kinda died."

"You were mostly dead then, Kagome. Now you're healthy and strong. Could you at least try?"

Kagome's eyes tightened, "Hikaru, I don't want to risk hurting you, as you said, I am a priestess. You are a youkai, one slip would be disastrous."

But Hikaru was shaking his head, "Kagome, I trust you."

Kagome closed her eyes, feeling uneasy about this.

"Alright, Hikaru. I shall try."

"Thank you, Kagome." His hand on her shoulder trembled though his voice was strong.

* * *

"Hikaru's problems in the East must come second to the Jewel."

"But Sesshoumaru, I can't just leave him…"

"You can and you will; you have already helped him more than he could ever hope for. You must destroy the Jewel, one boy's life means little in comparison to the fate of the world. You have restored him to his natural form, and helped him unlock his full power at his current age."

"But he's just a child, Sesshoumaru!"

"He is a Youkai child, Kagome, who has reached his second century. His father will protect him, his mother will do the same. Lord Yaruko is not a fool; he understands far more than he lets on. He is my ally for a reason, girl, you should know by now that I do not suffer the company of fools."

Kagome was taken aback, "Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama."

"Stay close to Hikaru, try to keep him safe."

This time it was Kagome's turn to glare. "He is pack, Sesshoumaru."

A cold chuckle filled the room as his golden eyes flashed. "Too true."

* * *

Chapter Fini. I hope you enjoyed reading it. Now Review, and move on to the next chapter. I know you're impatient to read more, I know exactly how you feel, I hardly ever actually stop to write a review for every chapter...But I revised and fixed this chapter, tell me what you think of the improvements so far? Good? Bad? Love it? Hate it? Tell me~

Selenay of Antioch


	12. The Barriers that Bound Us

**Disclaimer: I own Nothing! Nothing is mine, except this plot. It is, as always, mine to turn and twist as I will. That said, enjoy!**

**I would also like to apologize for the very long pause between last update and now. I've been having plenty of time to write this up in my notebook, but almost no time to transfer what I write into my computer. A lot of stuff has happened during the pause; in November, my fourth sibling from the oldest (younger than me I'm second of seven) got a DWI, and that disrupted everybody for awhile. **

**It was like a classic cascade effect.**

* * *

_"Knowledge is a weapon. I intend to be formidably armed." –Richard_, Sword of Truth Series. I recommend you all to read these books, don't you dare watch that show. Look up Terry Goodkind! But by all means, I am not Terry Goodkind. I own Nothing! Remember?

* * *

The next morning, Sesshoumaru found her in the study, pouring over books and stirring up dust as she browsed through the pages.

Hikaru popped his head from around the corner, "Got another one, Kagome. This one's got a name I don't know, _Fuer Grissa Daust Verika._ That's a mouthful. Definitely another language, though."

"Bring that here, too. Perhaps we can translate it, Hikaru. Let's add it to the stack we've got already and begin working through the books we've got." She said distractedly as her eyes scanned the book she was currently working on, a scroll clutched in her other hand which she kept referring to every few sentences.

Hikaru nodded and dutifully sat beside her and began reading a book lying in front of him.

"Keywords to look for as you scan are going to be; barriers, spells, shields, and binding-spells." She trailed off as she became further engrossed in the text. Sesshoumaru furrowed his brows and decided this was a nest better left alone.

Kagome and Hikaru took no notice of his absence, Kagome distractedly sipping from the mug of steaming Oolong tea. It was dark and unsweetened, bitter. Just the way she liked it.

Hours passed, dinner was brought to them in heaping plates. They settled to eat at a smaller table devoid of the precious manuscripts, scrolls, and tomes.

The great Lord-Protector Dog-General had evidently been quite the collector of knowledge, and Kagome was intensely interested in reading through the collection.

Most of the books were histories, which while boring, continued to augment her own knowledge of the past. Also, the histories were recorded by the Youkai who were significantly longer-lived, and could record history much more precisely with first-person accounts versus word of mouth taken by humans who had heard it from another and another until the true facts were disjointed bits and pieces.

Events she came across were quite different from how they were portrayed in her textbooks, or other events weren't even mentioned at all. The human textbooks she had been issued as a student of the future barely touched upon the actual historical events.

They left out a number of significant events that also concerned human villages.

As Kagome continued reading through the histories, she found entries dating back thousands and thousands of years ago, the manuscripts perfectly preserved as if they had been written yesterday. However, others in recent years were old, yellowed and tattered, and the edges cracking into fine dust as she carefully read through them and turned pages.

Kagome finally closed that book and pulled another close to her, as she flipped the cover of the book open with tender fingers, the first few pages also flipped over to reveal an immensely intricate design drawn in gold ink that still faintly glowed to her senses. She wasn't sure if these senses were physical or otherworldly. Kagome's eyes were drawn to the symbol, her brows furrowing.

"How strange…" she whispered softly, fingers tracing the mark. Her fingertips tingled unexpectedly, and she gasped.

"Hey Ship-Hikaru, I think I found something here!" she said excitedly, her voice squeaking.

Hikaru bounded over, "What? Let me see!"

He looked down at it, "Wow Kagome, I think you might be right!" he said, his fingers also trailing over the symbol. She nodded, "Whatever that symbol means, it must be very powerful."

She studied it very closely, the eight-pointed star was enclosed inside a circle, and the circle was enclosed inside a triangle, and that triangle was at last enclosed within a larger circle. Each tip of the eight-pointed star had a line that cut through the binding circles and triangle. That was important, she wasn't sure why, but she felt a grim satisfaction that those lines cut through the inner circle and triangle and stopped at the outer circle.

She carefully reached out with a fingertip and traced the outer circle, trying to discern its meaning. She felt a disturbing sense of age, and decay. As her fingers nervously edged away from the outer circle toward one of the lines that cut through the inner circle and square, she felt a thrilling trill of power. Like something resonating within her.

She smiled a bit. "I think I know what this is." She said in a hushed tone.

"What is it, Kagome?" Hikaru asked, his eyes wide as he looked from Kagome's face back to the emblem on the book. Child-like wonder exuded from him, an innocence she felt so at home with.

Kagome didn't answer for awhile, her brows furrowed as she stared at the emblem. Her fingers trailed over the inner circle, then to the star in the center. She couldn't help smiling at the sensation of love and acceptance from that star. As she studied the emblem, she slowly nodded her head.

"This is a symbol of the Creator, or God in some countries." She said, indicating the eight-pointed star. Then, she ran her finger over the inner circle.

"This is the living world; the world of life." Frowning, she indicated the rays stretching from every point of the star, "This is magic, the Gift. The ability to wield magic. It is something that is only born in us. This is like Wizards and stuff like that, possibly Mikos, too."

Then she indicated the triangle, just outside of the first circle, off which every side of the triangle was a tangent which connected the circle to the triangle. "This is some kind of boundary, it keeps the world of life separate from the world of the afterlife. Like a precipice world, but very small."

She then indicated the last circle, "this one symbolizes the world of the dead."

Hikaru stared down at it in wonder, "Wow, how did you get all that from looking at this picture?"

Kagome blushed, "I dunno, after awhile you tend to figure out emblems pretty quick."

"But where would you have learned to read emblems and find the meanings of things like that?"

Kagome frowned thoughtfully as she turned the page.

Where did she get such knowledge? Memories played back about reading her father's journals, listening to his lectures as a young child, and memorizing the different diagrams. The sight of this emblem before her was both comforting and terrifying.

Comforting because she knew what this symbol was now. Terrifying because now she knew all those things she learned were indeed real, that they had a source, and because now she knew what it could do to a person with the power to wield it if this very symbol was drawn incorrectly.

If drawn by a regular person without the Gift, then the symbol remained inert. But if drawn by a person with the power, the symbol came alive to be directed by the user's will. But only if it were drawn correctly.

"From my dad."

Hikaru looked down at the page, then back at her. "Your dad taught you these symbols?"

"Mmm…yep. Not these directly, but he taught me them in theory. He had 'the Gift.' Humans call it the Gift, Hikaru you should remember that. I learned as much as I could, but he died when I was still young.

Kagome began to read, her eyes darting across the page. "Hikaru, remember that symbol, and bring me other books like it."

Hikaru eagerly went off looking for more of the books. By the end of the evening, Kagome had read through almost half of the thick tome. Hikaru had discovered three more books like the one she had. He sat nearby the fire, reading the book with a renewed curiosity that he normally reserved for just about anything that interested him.

After finishing that tome, Kagome began to try her hand at drawing her first Rawn, for that was what the symbol was called.

Carefully, she relaxed her mind, and called her power to her fingertips. She picked up her brush and dipped it, poising over the blank parchment, she took a steadying breath before starting with a long line, which bent into another line, and another until the star was complete, then she drew the first inner circle around the star, each tip touching the edge of the circle.

With the circle complete, Kagome immediately moved to make the triangle surrounding the inner circle, finishing with the large outer circle, the end of that circle leaving her back at the beginning and directly in line to make the first ray.

Carefully, never removing the pen from the paper, she drew out the design. She breathed out a sigh of relief when finished, the symbol flared up and she looked at Hikaru. He was busy reading through some of the books.

"Alright Hikaru, let's have a look at that binding spell you're under."

He stepped forward, and Kagome guided him to stand near the table.

"Alright, I need some of your blood, I think."

Hikaru's eyes suddenly became guarded, "Why would you need that?"

Kagome pointed to the Rawn drawn on the paper, "Because magic is inorganic in nature, in order to react to organic bases, and in particular yours, I'll need to use some of your blood. Not all, just some. Is that alright?"

Hikaru froze, and stared at her as if stricken. "But… that would hurt. I would bleed, Kagome. I don't want to bleed."

"Don't be a baby, Hikaru. I don't need much, just a very small bowlful. Just enough to draw out the symbol."

"Why can't we use yours?"

"Because I'm not you, and I'm not the one under a spell-barrier."

"Oh."

Hikaru sighed, and rubbed his forehead, inadvertently rubbing small traces of dust and ink onto his skin. "Alright…just a little bit."

Kagome smiled down at him, "That's my brave boy."

* * *

A servant delivered the needed items, a clean sharp blade and a small bowl. It was a struggle to make the small child sit still long enough to make a deep enough cut to fill the bowl enough. Eventually, after reminding him of the necessity of this task, as well as her own discomfort about the whole ordeal as well, he finally relinquished his fear long enough to let Kagome draw enough blood from his arm to do the job.

Holding the silk cloth to the inside of his elbow, he watched with horrified fascination as Kagome used her finger to draw out the Rawn straight on the wood of the table. Finally, she stood up straight and smiled over at him.

"Alright, it's ready. Come stand on the table, please."

He did as he was told, standing poised lightly on the balls of his feet, watching the Rawn as if it might transform into some snake and strike at him. This was real magic, he could feel it and it was thoroughly unfamiliar to him.

"Place one foot here, and the other foot here. Over the star."

Hikaru nodded, and slid his first foot towards the outer circle, part of which was pierced by one of the eight rays of the Rawn. Kagome suddenly felt a grave forbidding the closer his foot came.

"Wait! Not that one first. That would kill you."

Hikaru's eyes widened in astonishment before he quickly complied and placed his foot over the star, then immediately placed his other foot over the outer circle where it was intercepted by a ray from the star.

Kagome watched with fascination as Hikaru was caught up by the spell form. He lifted off the table a few inches and drifted in place. He stared straight ahead, completely immobile. Not even his hair moved.

Green lines began to snake their way around him, rising from the Rawn to take shape in the air around him. Kagome had seen a spell form before, but never like this. Usually, spell forms were two-dimensional things, drawn out along a long sheet of parchment and studied for hours, watching for anomalies.

This spell form was three-dimensional, it surrounded Hikaru, and encased him completely. She watched as more and more green lines appeared and took shape around Hikaru, as the spell form was forced to materialize.

Kagome stared up into his face, but it was entirely frozen. Satisfied, she turned her head to the lines that were lacing up around Hikaru.

Even as she watched, new lines formed off of the old main lines; striking out at ninety-degree angles and only rarely at forty-five or sixty-degree angles. There was a certain mathematical exactness to it that she found appreciation for. Most of the geometrical designs taking shape before her were familiar shapes, and were completely logical to her.

She could easily see what those designs did; the hexagons were to dampen the energy intake, triangles controlled energy output, circles seemed the most stable and probably controlled his shape.

New lines were a vibrant green, while the main lines which had formed first were turning a strange glowing black. Though that seemed far from forbidding.

Lines quickly circumvented Hikaru's motionless form as Kagome looked on watching. She focused intensely on the lines, trying her best to decipher what they meant and what the spell was doing exactly.

She lost track of how long exactly she stood there; it could have been minutes, it could have been hours. It could very well have been mere seconds before a voice cut through her focus. That voice could wake her from the deepest sleep with that tenor.

"What have you done?"

She whirled around to see Sesshoumaru standing there, but her was not looking at her. His gaze was fixed on the small kit's motionless form floating a hand's width above the table.

"Ah…Sesshoumaru, we're quite busy here. I am examining the spell form that binds Shi-Hikaru's true shape. It's not quite what it looks like."

Truly, it did look bad, with Hikaru so motionless; it appeared as if he was hanging suspended in death, since Hikaru did not breathe, nor did he move. Which in a way he was dead, but Sesshoumaru didn't need to know that. The spell form would deliver his body oxygen and whatever else his body needed to live.

Sesshoumaru strode towards the pair.

"You need to get him out of there. That could cause more harm if you meddle with things you know nothing of."

Kagome's eyes slid to the side, almost guiltily. "I can't do that."

His golden eyes were suddenly boring into hers, "and why not?"

Unable to look away from his fierce raptor gaze, she waved her hand vaguely toward the numerous green lines in the air.

"The spell-form needs to finish the process of being written physically, and that could take awhile."

"And if I dragged him out forcibly?" He hissed, his eyes narrowing.

"Well, mighty Sesshoumaru, look what he's hovering over, and you tell me what you think." Kagome shot back acidly, waving a hand over the Rawn drawn on the parchment. She blinked a second after the words left her mouth, wondering where her temper came, her insides were already telling her that he was probably going to be reasserting his supremacy over her any second now. But Sesshoumaru seemed distracted enough over what was on the table. He snarled a deep throaty growl at her tone as he very reluctantly broke his gaze to look at the symbol drawn there on the table.

His brows furrowed as he concentrated on it, his eyes drinking in the symbol written there. After that, he gazed at where Hikaru's feet hovered over the symbol.

"It would kill him." He said, his voice more muted than before as he curiously glanced over the spell form and the symbol on the table. She nodded and went back to watching the lines as they wove around Hikaru in a seemingly never-ending weave that never touched.

Every line equidistant from the other.

Kagome and Sesshoumaru stood there together, watching the lines finish their trek.

* * *

After a total of three hours since Sesshoumaru entered the room, the lines ceased their endless movement around Hikaru and flared a startling white. Kagome straightened, and craned her head around to look at the completed spell form.

Quickly, she located the main branches of the spell; set as they were in three main glowing-black and faintly-green bars parallel to the ground, as thick as the stripes that graced Sesshoumaru's wrists.

Tentatively, she raised her hand. "I think this is the right spot to start at...see?"

She inserted a finger into the matrix of lines directly over one of the three main lines. A portion of the lines flared white and then faded to an inert gray.

Her brows furrowed in concentration. Holding back the spell's function, even partially, was taxing and she could feel sweat beginning to bead on her brow.

Carefully, she ran her finger along the line, and more of the lines flared up and became inert.

She extended her other hand into the end of the first line. The entire thread of that line and all of its branches flared and then turned gray.

Sesshoumaru, as he spied which line should be shut down next, extended his own index finger toward the next line experimentally. But as his finger neared the line, the line flared up a brilliant blue and Sesshoumaru withdrew his hand as if burned.

He brought his hand to his face and watched with a detached fascination as a red weal appeared on his finger and promptly faded as his healing blood activated at the wound. Causing the hand to turn pink around the affected area then the paleness leaked back to reveal unblemished flesh.

Kagome threw his hand a concerned look, but on seeing how quickly it healed, she concentrated on the spell form before her.

She extended her right hand again, pressing it lightly against the second main line and dragging it around like she did the first. The same as with the last one, when she extended her other finger and ran it in the opposite direction, all the smaller branches and the rest of the threads of that main branch were shut down.

She was panting with exertion now, the sweat was cold on her brow, and her fingers trembled.

With much of its supporting framework disabled, the spell form became unstable and seemed to tremble as Kagome brought both hands up and began shutting down the rest of the spell.

She had barely begun on the third core thread when the whole spell form gave a shudder, and Kagome's eyes went wide in surprise as the spell broke apart, falling down around Hikaru and fading away like dying embers.

Hikaru suddenly gasped out a shuddering breath, and fell toward the table as well. Kagome hands shot out and caught him before he could crumple off the table. She drew him off and away from the table towards the fire, as he lay shuddering and panting. His eyelids fluttered weakly. His hand reached up and weakly grasped Kagome's sleeve.

As he lay in her lap, Sesshoumaru and Kagome watched with fascination as his body stretched out to take the shape of a nine year old child. His fox paws morphing into human-looking feet with the claws at the tips finely pointed, while his hair fell from his hair tie to fall around his neck, barely brushing his shoulders.

The markings appeared even more vibrant than before, accepting the fine sculpting of his face.

His face! Much of the roundness disappeared, leaving his face with high cheek bones, and a slightly feminine look. It was in the upswept shape of the brows, the tilt of the sharply pointed ears, and the shape of the chin. It was strangely reminiscent of Sesshoumaru, her brows furrowed with thought.

Sesshoumaru nodded his head, brows furrowed.

"Yes, now he looks and smells like the Eastern Prince I remember, though briefly. He was truly just a babe at the time. Scents don't change."

Kagome tilted her nose down to Hikaru's neck to breathe in Hikaru's scent, and found it to be reminiscent of pine sap and wood smoke with undertones of honey.

She smiled down at the child, marveling that the tiny fox kit she had traveled with and protected had really been a Prince of the Cardinal Lords.

Hikaru relaxed, and his breathing eased and steadied out, slipping into a deep and natural sleep.

"Well, that's done then. Hikaru has been returned to his natural shape now."

Kagome settled Hikaru onto the couch, then stood up herself and returned to the table. She placed her hand against the Rawn drawn on the table in blood, and sparks flared up around her hand, as well as small motes of smoke. She ran her hand over the Rawn, and the table was left with just the afterimage of the vastly powerful symbol.

She picked up the paper she had practiced on, and cast it into the fire. The flames surged bright green, like St. Elmo's Fire, before returning to normal.

She returned to the couch, scooping up the sleeping child, hoisting Hikaru into her arms more comfortably before turning towards the door, but as she reached the door Sesshoumaru's voice stopped her.

"Girl."

She paused, annoyed that he would call her 'girl' of all things. But, she supposed it was better than 'wench' or other derogatory words she had heard in the past.

She turned her head slightly to place him under one eye. "Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"What you did this night, it has not been done in a very long time. What you did tonight was not the regular magic that most Youkai are able to use now. What you used was much older, we need to speak about this."

She frowned, "I know… can we talk about it tomorrow? I'm really tired."

Sesshoumaru nodded his head minutely, and dismissed her by tacitly looking down into the flames from where he stood by the fire, fingering a book on the mantel.

* * *

Awaking the next morning, she felt entirely comfortable. Sweet warmth emanated from what she currently had her arms curled around. Kagome nosed against the smallish form and received a sigh in response from her bedmate.

Huh?

Her eyes blinked open to stare at the soft dusty-red hair. He was snuggled against her, his nose tucked into her shoulder. His arms folded and tucked in front of himself in a classic snuggle-me position, his legs stretched out straight down, following her legs, though his feet ended at just above her knees.

As is reveling in the company, her son somersaulted within her, and Hikaru snuggled closer in response. She stared at the markings adorning his face, it was still strange to see them there; to know and having been the best-friend and maternal figure to the Prince of the Eastern Lands, even if he had not known it at the time. Just remembering all the times he had been placed in such danger and life-threatening situations.

She was glad that he made it out alright, though now he seemed to be facing danger from within his own family, and worse; his own father hadn't been at Lyterna to receive him.

She would help him through this mess, finish off the threat of his uncle, and help him secure his place as heir.

Hikaru stirred, and his eyes fluttered open. Looking up at her with eyes like mulberries. Kagome frowned inwardly, she had rather liked his green eyes so deep, they could look right through you. But these orbs he gazed at her with were pretty enough. She could get used to them.

She smiled down at him, "Well, I don't know about you, but I could eat a whole zebra."

Hikaru laughed and then leaned away as confusion marred his brow. "What is a zebra?"

Kagome shrugged it off with one arm, "Don't worry about it, let's go eat."

Hikaru let it go, "Okay."

Even his voice was slightly different. It sounded more like a boy's voice, not quite so squeaky and high-pitched.

Down in the dining room, they found Sesshoumaru eating in silence, a cup of tea near his hand.

Ravenously, they attacked the spread laid out before them, the servants retreating timidly when a possessive growl emanated from Kagome's throat.

Sesshoumaru paid her no heed, he was the Alpha.

In the presence of so much food, their hunger manifested itself tenfold after the exertions the night before breaking through the spell that bound Hikaru's power, as well as his natural form.

As they polished off seconds, and then third helpings, before showing signs of slowing down and actually examining the savory flavors of their meal, Sesshoumaru broke through the clattering silence of chop-sticks lightly striking ceramic.

"As you are both downstairs, and devouring all that remained of breakfast, I am assuming everything was successful and the spell has been broken."

Kagome snorted, "As if his change of appearance didn't clue you in?" She bit into the shark-youkai steak, the juices leaking over her fingers. She studiously ignored the golden orbs promising death boring into the side of her head. She knew what he meant; he was glad they were alright after the exhausted condition Hikaru had been in, and Kagome's pale countenance afterward.

But really, one would think he'd find a better way of asking!

He had left himself wide open to that retort.

Yes, that exhaustion; what had made Hikaru so exhausted?

"Hikaru, that reminds me. What was it like inside the spell form?"

Hikaru suddenly slid his eyes to the side, "Oh, that? Um…it was weird, the thing I was inside of…that symbol, it gave me what I needed; oxygen and stuff and kept me alive. Though when you were…" He trailed off, staring into space. His silence caused Kagome to look at him, he turned his head and smiled brightly at her.

It was a large, false smile.

Kagome frowned at him. "What?" She questioned.

"What what?" He countered, busily finding interest in the vegetables on his plate.

Kagome's nostrils flared as she twitched her head with mild frustration and exasperation.

"What are you leaving out, Hikaru? What are you not telling us?"

His gaze narrowed, and he furrowed his brows; determinedly prodding his food with his chopsticks.

"What does it matter, Kagome? It worked; my body is back, and my power is back, and I'm just fine."

"What does it matter? It matters to me, I would like to know if I cause you harm, or pain, or make things harder for you. That's why it matters."

Hikaru grimaced, "What for? So you can guilt trip yourself about that, too? You don't need to know, Kagome. It worked, that's all that matters."

She didn't need to know that while he was within the spell-form, the life of the spell and each new line was so peaceful, sleepy, even rapture.

She didn't need to know that when it was complete, and Kagome began shutting it down that it felt similar to someone jabbing into his belly with a knife, and that as she dragged her fingers across along the lines, it was like a searing white-hot poker running along the surface of his skin.

It didn't matter, because it worked and he would never need to face that again.

Kagome looked pensive as she turned away reluctantly. The boy was hiding something, and was adamant about not revealing it. She had to let it go. Whatever he was hiding, he was doing so for a reason. Maybe he _couldn't_ talk about it.

No matter, she was his friend, and she needed to trust him sometimes, too.

She turned to Sesshoumaru, "Sesshoumaru-sama, what did the council decide on the case?"

"Concerning Ulquiorra, they have confined him to Lyterna for three years for intensive study on the effects of malicious software, correction, malicious artifacts. After that, he shall be placed in the custody of the West, and he will be in service to us for ten years before being allowed to return to his own lands, and his father."

Kagome nodded slowly, she wasn't sure if she liked him being close by for ten whole years.

Sesshoumaru looked at her steadily, before flicking his gaze towards Hikaru.

"Hikaru, could you leave us for a time? There are things that must be discussed that you do not need to hear."

Hikaru stood up, taking the hint. "Got it," he said. Standing up, plucking a spear of carrot and munching on it before taking his leave. "I'm gonna be out on the balcony upstairs."

When Hikaru had left, Kagome leveled a fierce look at him.

"What happened? After I lost consciousness? I remember angry voices, they seemed so angry and fearful. Hopeful even, what was that about?"

"They argued over what to do with you, you gave them quite a surprise. You were unexpected, but you aren't bad for them. They need you." _I need you._

* * *

The servants had long since lifted away the dirty dishes, and they had receded to the back parlor.

"There has never been a blending of the powers; of Youkai blood and its inimical Human reciprocal. Other attempts have been made at blending the powers; to create a creature of both bloods to be able to counteract the priests and priestesses. The Lamials, in our tongue. We tried breeding, even using willing priestesses to try and bare a child of the bloods. But the power never blended in the babes. Eventually, try as the priestess might, their power would flare up and kill the child."

"—But what about the adoption process, like what you did with me?" She interjected. Feeling at a loss about herself as she discovered more about Sesshoumaru's ulterior motive in adopting her. "What am I? A science experiment?"

Sesshoumaru's brows furrowed. This was a very volatile subject, as things usually were in these situations. How to explain to her that she was a gift from the Kami themselves? That her son, be he the father or Inuyasha, was also still alive, even while she used her priestess powers, and her son resonated with her power. He was going to be so powerful, he was going to be the epitome of decades of effort put in to defeating the nemesis of all Youkai.

"Not exactly."

"What am I then?" Her fists were balling in her lap. Her eyes mere slits of glittering-green. The golden flecks danced in her eyes like small sparks of fire.

He chose his next words carefully, in his measured cold tone. "You are our future, our savior."

Her face twisted. "I am not your savior. There is no way. I am in no way as powerful as you."

It was not flattery, just truth.

Sesshoumaru lifted his gaze skyward, "Thousands of years ago, Humans were few. Indeed, there was peace between Humans and Youkai. A Golden Age as such as has never been seen before. Youkai were supreme rulers, holding great unimaginable power. My strength is naught but a mere tenth of what it used to be among my people, our people. Humans, all Humans paid obeisance to us, our power was unchallenged. It was the days of Solnigh.

"Then the rise of enhanced Humans came, the Lamials. Their power was not like ours. It was adverse to ours, inimical to us. We rejoiced with them their blooming magic in a previously non-magical people.

"But then they turned on us, they killed their unsuspecting masters in their sleep, as they ate. It was chaos."

Sesshoumaru took a deep breath. "And so the Dark Ages began. We are only now starting to recover. The Lamials are being culled when they can, converted when its available to us."

Kagome's expression became perplexed.

"How do you manage to convert them? They are priests?"

Sesshoumaru looked hard at her again. "We collect them as children. When they become accustomed to living with us, they receive training from another priest or priestess to control their powers."

Kagome's eyes suddenly brightened with understanding, her anger forgotten momentarily.

"You mean Rin is a priestess? That's why you 'collected' her?"

Sesshoumaru nodded. "Yes, she has untapped power deep inside her."

"So you hold no real affection for her at all?"

His glare became icy, "She is my ward. She is pack."

Kagome recollected her thinking, "All that you told me, it still doesn't explain why I am some 'savior'."

Sesshoumaru nodded stiffly. "At the height of the Lamials' revolt, they changed something in the very fabric of reality, of this world. Something so vital and important, it took us decades to figure out what happened." Sesshoumaru closed his eyes, when he opened them again they were distant once more.

"They changed something in all of Youkai around the world," his gaze swept to hers once again. "They took away the minds of reason of most of the Youkai, the ones strong enough to survive the Calamity were the ancestors of the Four Cardinal Lords, and many of their own close relatives."

Kagome's hand rose to cover her mouth, her eyes wide with horror.

"That's what they are? Their minds have been taken from them? No wonder they only feel hatred for Humans! No wonder you have such disdain for the Humans!"

Sesshoumaru nodded, "It is considered honorable now to kill and devour them when possible. A mercy killing."

"I see," Kagome said weakly, eying the dark meat on her plate with chagrin.

"The Lords who survived in the following centuries soon learned another blow that had been dealt to them. Children born became fewer and far between. The fertility of all Youkai has been taken from us. Children born were also noted for having limited control of the arcane arts all Youkai used to employ freely." Now he stood up, and motioned her to do the same.

"The same magic you also possess now."

He walked down the hall, and led her into the study, "This is why you are our savior." Without looking to see her reaction, he moved to the broad table there, and began to move the tomes about before lifting out a large blue leather-bound tome. He turned around and showed her the title. The words _Collected Origins_ glinted off the light from the high windows in gold lettering.

"All of which you will need to learn is in here."

Kagome took the book with numb fingers, Sesshoumaru turned around again, and rifled through the books on the table before shoving another book into her hands, "That one has everything I just told you about. It is dated by our calendar system, approximately twenty-five thousand Before-Cataclysm, or B.C. in the Human Tongue."

Kagome frowned down at the books in her hands; it seemed all she was, was a weapon. An experimental success beyond everyone's wildest dreams. What a raging success. Someone grant Sesshoumaru the Nobel Prize for genetic ingenuity. She scoffed at her own dark thoughts, such traitorous thoughts. He was trying to save his people. She was the means to an end, an unexpected end. She was going to be a new breath of fresh air after the horror of what the Youkai went through till today.

"So, I am the Answer because I can wield the power of a..Lamial while being a Youkai?"

He gave a curt shake of his head.

"No, your power has turned into something else completely. Not Lamial, not Youkai. But the ancient magic all Youkai used to possess, and at the same time, you are immune to and can wield the Lamial magic. This is truly what you were born for. Your blood blended with mine seamlessly. Also, your son cannot be harmed by your power."

Kagome twitched, as she was reminded again of her son.

"Sesshoumaru, are you sure you felt no part of human blood in him?"

Sesshoumaru paused, reaching out a hand to place it carefully over her womb and sending out a careful tendril of his youki to brush against the child within.

"I do not feel any human blood in his veins. His presence is quite strong now."

Sesshoumaru felt a stirring within himself as the words spilled from his lips. A son. He had a son. His son, his heir, his pack.

"And what is he? What am I?"

Sesshoumaru leaned his head close, and brushed his cheek against her own and rubbing his nose through her hair and he stepped closer to her. Kagome clutched the books tighter to herself, Sesshoumaru ran his fingers up and rested his hands over her shoulders.

"He is pack. You are pack."

Kagome nodded, she could accept that. In light of all this, it was an easy thing to do. Sesshoumaru's son. Her son had a father, and he was alive. Gloriously and vibrantly alive. She could do this, be pleased that he was the father, that her son would have a father to look up to. To emulate, and learn from.

Sesshoumaru slowly pulled away, and Kagome stepped out of his embrace. It hadn't been too much, it had been just right.

"So, what am I supposed to do to save all the Youkai? What do you want me to do?"

"I would want you to help me find out what they did to disrupt the fabric of reality and cause us to slowly die out as we are. The very world hangs in the balance, Kagome. We are beings who use magic, but we are not inherently magic. Other beings in this world have already gone extinct, and others still are dying out even more quickly."

Sesshoumaru began pacing the study.

"But, I have learned that the forming of Youkai children is inherently magical as well as physical, thus as to why not as many are being born or conceived. The very nature as to how they grow is also magical in nature."

"That is a lot to figure out, where can I possibly start to figure this stuff out?"

"I trust you'll think of something. Most of our history is impeccably kept in records. You have the perusal of this library, perhaps you can garner the use of the Central Council Library as well. There is also the library in the Western Palace, back in Lysia."

Kagome nodded, her heart heavy with the burdens placed upon her.

"Enough about that for now, we have more immediate concerns. We must get Hikaru to his father…"

Sesshoumaru went to the shelf and withdrew various rolls of parchment and unfurled them on the table to reveal detailed maps of the continent.

Kagome and Sesshoumaru remained in the study for some time to take counsel, and discuss ways to get around Lord Suoh. They poured over maps and Sesshoumaru drilled her on what routes she could take safely.

"Make haste, I shall be able to deter him for only a certain period of time before he realizes that you have gone ahead. You must reach Lord Yaruko at all costs, Hikaru must be returned to him and his mother. I am familiar with them, they know me well and they will recognize the scent you carry in your skin. They will embrace you, Kagome. Do not fear them. Fear Lord Suoh, he is cruel and cunning."

Kagome nodded her head numbly as she stared hard at the maps, committing the images to memory. Sesshoumaru made sure to brush against her, adding his scent to her clothes and body to cloak her in a protective aura of his making.

Eventually, Sesshoumaru drew out a crystal decanter filled with a dark amber liquid. Though it was impossible for Youkai to become inebriated, Youkai did tend to enjoy alcohol for its taste.

"Sesshoumaru," He looked over at her as the hesitance reached him. "Will I have to kill the Lamials? The priests and priestesses?" She spoke softly, like she barely dared voice her concerns.

"If they try to kill you, I would hope you would defend yourself."

"That's not what I mean. Is my eventual task to either subjugate or kill those with holy power? These humans that are, as you say, genetic anomalies?"

Sesshoumaru turned to face her fully, "Yes. To a certain extent, you will have to do just that."

Kagome's eyes closed as if in pain. "But I used to _be_ one of them, how can I be asked to do that? How can you ask me to do that?"

"You were one of them _once_, but you are one of us _now._ They will not look on you kindly when they find out you used to be human." Sesshoumaru pressed as he set down his glass and stepped toward her to look down into her eyes as if to emphasize a point.

"What if there is another way? There _has_ to be another way, Sesshoumaru. Please don't ask me to kill them, I won't!"

"Feel free to search out 'another way,' if you find it, so be it. It better suit the both of us."

"Gladly." She hissed up at him, her eyes again those green glittering slits.

She looked down at the books in her arms, her eyes swimming with tears. He made no move to stop her as she turned on her heel back to her room. The door closed with a slam and Sesshoumaru was left to his thoughts.

Normally, he would never tolerate such behavior from anyone. Not even his sister, and most definitely not from his half-brother. He decided he loved her fire, the burning green rage she glowed with when she was angry. He rather liked her mad.

But this was not 'normally.' He showed restraint purely for the sake of the pup growing beneath her breast. His pup. His son.

The thought filled him with wonder, truly he had waited long enough to start a family. He was reaching his seven-hundredth year now, this summer. Most Inuyoukai his age were mated with offspring by now. Yet, by some miraculous fluke by adopting the human Shikon Miko; he landed himself a son, the savior of all Youkai, and his own future mate. He just needed to help her see, and be there for her. Eventually, she would see. Eventually, she would be his.

She was starting to understand, beginning to realize what would occur when the mark faded from her neck. He only hoped she would choose him, accept him. Sesshoumaru was many things, but he was not a rapist. He had no interest in an unwilling female. In fact, females did not hold much sway over him at all. It was as if they simply just did not exist.

When Kagome came into his notice, first as his brother's companion, then as an accomplished priestess, he had worried he would have to kill her but for her resistance to use her power on Youkai. She may be swayed then? But her scent, it was too pure, to clean, like a fresh ocean breeze and a spring rain.

She was sympathetic to Youkai, which was rare among priestesses who had seen all she had seen; then as it came about that she was the Shikon Miko, he watched her carefully. During the three years she spent in the company of his brother, and all he had seen of her during battles, and in the campgrounds, he grew to respect her, and admire her strength.

When his grandmother came to him soon after he brought her to Lysia, carrying that book, that damned book, he grudgingly accepted her proposal about an attempt to adopt the girl. His grandmother had been about to adopt Kagome herself if he denied. He couldn't have that. It would have made Kagome the sister to Tobiume, and his new grand-aunt. Outranking him in status, and technically carrying his uncle below her breast.

So Kagome became his sister and she was dazzling. It had been hard enough to ignore her dainty human form and grace, and those large expressive eyes. Her delicate small hands, callused from using that bow of hers. Those long strong legs, exposed to the eye in that scandalous outfit of hers. He felt glad those had been burned much earlier.

She had been pretty enough as a human, but now she was positively glowing. No one else in existence could pull off that steel-gray hair, and make it look good. He felt glad those eyes of hers had carried over during the adoption. He would have hated to see golden eyes open up to meet his own after the Adoption Ritual.

Never before had Sesshoumaru given his attention to a female of either Youkai or Human blood, save Rin his ward. Never had his interest been piqued over the opposite sex, or even the same sex. He knew he was not of that persuasion.

He watched Kagome, always watching. Always quietly caring.

Damn that girl, she fell in love with the wrong brother.

* * *

Chapter Fini.

I hope you enjoyed reading this version. I personally like it better. Leave a message, love it? Hate it? Good? Bad? Tell me.

Selenay of Antioch


	13. The Motives that Drive Us

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, all honors go to Rumiko Takahashi for her wonderful world in which we all play.**

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"_The bird let out a slow chicken cackle. It sounded like a chicken, but in her heart she knew it wasn't. In that instant, she completely understood the concept of a chicken that was not a chicken. This looked like a chicken, like most of the Mud People's chickens. But this was no chicken. This was evil manifest." _–Soul of the Fire, Terry Goodkind.

**Okay, I saw that quote there, and I just had to post it and share it with you guys. **

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**Reviews are appreciated, but never required. I love getting feedback from my readers, it lets me know how I'm doing, and what you guys think.**

**Chapter Thirteen: The Motives that Drive Us**

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Kagome was up on the balcony again, carefully reading more of the precious tomes from the library.

Kagome felt her heart sink slightly, since their heated words just two days ago, they had hardly looked at each other since. It was as if a silent war was being waged. Kagome was pouring through every historical manuscript trying to find a way to save the world of Life, and also save the Lamials; whose magic was slowly leeching the world of magic of its youth.

Sesshoumaru continued to believe that the only way to save the planet was to kill and subjugate the Lamials.

Hikaru raced about in his true form as a massive blue-gray fox. His mulberry eyes were bright in concentration as he focused entirely on outwitting Sesshoumaru and still remaining out of reach of the larger dog. Sesshoumaru, however, was always discerning the boy's strategies.

When she had shown it to Hikaru, for just a moment his eyes had lit up with recognition. For just a moment he had seen the images and writing.

Then his eyes became vacant. He had looked up at her with a dubious expression and said,

"Kagome, it's blank."

She had furrowed her brows in consternation. "It is not, look!"

She flipped through pages, showing him the lines of neat penmanship, and the expressive algebraic diagrams displayed within. Concentric circles and congruent triangles, coupled with various spell-forms and logarithms (of all things, why did it have to be logarithms?) filled many pages; with small neat script written in the margins.

Hikaru had looked down at the pages again and frowned up at her, "Looks blank to me."

Kagome left him alone after that. It bothered her that he could not see the writing. She tested Sesshoumaru, and found that he could see the writing and he would read it, but then he would forget what he had read before as soon as he turned the page. For most others, the book remained blank to their eyes, very few had even limited ability to see the writing, and even fewer still could remember it past the next sentence.

Since no one else could read it, she did. When Sesshoumaru and Hikaru saw her with her eyes glued to the book, they gave her strange looks, but said nothing. She had already finished "Collected Origins" and the Youkai history Sesshoumaru had given to her days ago. Now she was hungry for more. That had been a little over a week and a half ago. That was when she had discovered the "blank" book stuffed into a corner of the Western Tower's library.

The new moon was finally here. Kagome was up in her room packing away the last of her things. They were to be leaving this night, she hung up her maroon robes and finished tying off her own armor, that done, she set the maroon robes in the armoire and paused as she noticed a square bulge in the pocket of the robe.

She reached inside and drew out a small thin book. She held it up to the light, as she turned it this way and that as she examined it.

"A book?"

It had no markings on it what so ever, it was small and thin and bound in black leather. She opened it and looked through the pages curiously. The pages were dated and were lined with neat script.

As she flipped through the pages, it became clear that the book was a journal, Kagome flipped through the book quickly until she reached the end of the entries. The rest of the pages were blank.

She flipped back to read the date on the last entry, _"Boar Moon. 10__th__ Day, Seventh Century of Lord Sei's Reign."_

"Lord Sei…Wasn't he the Archon?" She whispered.

Her curiosity piqued, Kagome flipped it back to the beginning of the book to begin to read. Abruptly, she was startled from her concentration as Hikaru's voice rang down the hall as she heard hurried footsteps approaching her room.

"Kagome! Are we leaving yet?"

She stuffed the book into the front of her kimono and hefted her saddle bags from the bed.

"Coming!" She called out. She met Hikaru outside in the hall, and he spun about on his heels and raced back down the hallway to the steps. She looked up just in time to see Hikaru jump up on the railing of the banister and go sliding down the banister. Her heart lurched up in her throat and she gave a sharp intake of breath.

Kagome placed a hand to her chest as she ran forward to look down, there was a light thump and Hikaru landed on the ground neatly on his feet. Bouncing on the balls of his feet as he spun about to grin up at her.

"Hikaru, you crazy-moronic child! You could have gotten hurt!"

He stuck his tongue out at her, "S'okay, Kagome! I've done it before!"

Her forehead scrunched up into a scowl, "Showoff!" She growled. "Don't let me catch you doing it again!"

She hurriedly rushed down the stairs and Hikaru hightailed it outside to Finlar.

When she made it to the bottom, Sesshoumaru was there in the atrium waiting for her. She pushed aside her irritation at Hikaru's antics for the moment, she could catch him later.

He regarded her carefully, and she did the same.

His stance was rigid and unmoving and she stood much the same way. They stayed like that for a single moment in time that seemed to last forever, then they broke away from each other's gaze. Neither one of them were ready to give on the subject. Neither of them was going to submit.

Sesshoumaru handed over her glaive, which she took with a tight smile.

It was just like the time before, and this fact was not lost on either of them. Though last time their goodbye was warmer. Her eyes were guarded, and his were unreadable.

"Finish the Jewel, and cast it into oblivion."

"Of course, Sesshoumaru-niisama."

His eyes narrowed at her at the suffix and his mouth twitched ever so slightly downwards.

Kagome stepped out into the open night air, Hikaru and Finlar were waiting, Hikaru looked impatient. To her surprise, she realized that Hikaru and Finlar were sitting astride enormous horses. The horses long tails were swaying gently in the breeze, and their manes were cut down to the base of their necks.

As Kagome walked down the steps into the courtyard, a handler came around the corner with Rukaze, Rukaze trotted with high knees, and with a bounce in his step. His neck arched and head held high with pride. He was tacked and ready, the handler walked by his head, stroking the horse fondly as they came to a stop in front of Kagome.

"He is more than ready for you, Kagome-sama." The handler said when he settled Rukaze a little and checked the girth of the saddle.

"Thanks!" Kagome said brightly as she slung her bag behind the saddle and buckled it securely.

Kagome swung into the saddle without jostling the stallion and positioned herself correctly. Heels down, back straight, and hands spaced just so; mimicking her holding ice-cream cones in both hands.

It had surprised her to see Finlar also astride a horse, she could see Hikaru on one, but Finlar totally threw her through a loop with that stunt; she thought she was the odd one out among the Youkai for her enjoyment of riding the spirited equines.

"I didn't know you rode, Finlar-san. This is a pleasant surprise."

"It is a pleasant surprise you ride as well, Kagome-sama. But why do you ride like a man?"

"Well, if traveling through dangerous country, and you use the horse in battle as often as not, it is more practical to ride in this manner. Also, where I come from, it is not uncommon for women to sit the saddle in this manner; it is far more stable than to sit side-saddle."

"Very good, milady" Finlar spoke, his eyes twinkling.

With that, they turned and left. Tonight was the new moon, it was the night of greatest weakness for most Canine Youkai, so it was the best night for Kagome and Hikaru to make their escape from Lyterna to the Eastern Province of Deforya.

Carefully, they started out. Kagome wore a thick cloak over her armor to muffle the sound of her passage. They left through the Market District, and past the Residential District and out through the Southern Gate. After they were out of the city, they gave a soft sigh of relief before veering to the East and beginning their trek.

* * *

As promised, he kept Lord Suoh distracted as long as possible. Being careful to parade Kagome and Hikaru's scents throughout the tower and other places nearby so that Suoh remained under the guise that Hikaru was still there. But eventually, the scents did fade, and Suoh figured it out all too soon.

That was two days ago, though. It was time for him to leave, he could not tarry here any longer.

He hesitated once at the door, but there was nothing keeping here any longer. It had been close to four days since she left with the Eastern Prince, and he knew that at the rate they would set, it would take them another week and a half before they arrived at the Eastern Province of Deforya.

Yet still he hesitated.

She should not affect him as much as she did, yet he could not help this strange sensation. This worry. Was it worry that plagued him? Whatever this sensation was, he didn't like it. He didn't like the pang that went through him, as images of her bleeding and broken body filled his mind. What state would she return to him in now? Could he save her again?

This girl, she came from the future, had lived in it for fifteen years before falling through the well. She said she didn't sense any Youkai in her time. With what he knew well, he felt again that strange pang in his chest. There were no Youkai in her time.

How could they just disappear? They were strong, and powerful. They had claws, and fangs, and speed, and strength far superior to that of humans. How could they just disappear? He growled under his breath, hardly loud enough for him to hear it, let alone anyone else.

Her scent was fading from the rooms of the Tower, from her bed. Everywhere. It aggravated him.

With that kiss she had given him that night just days before she had left, his heart jumped. Just the memory of it caused his chest to twinge painfully. She had never instigated kisses before, she had never kissed him before, but he could not stop the trill that ran through him at the thought of it.

She had kissed him.

The way she had said his name before and called him her Alpha made his fingers clench, wishing once again they could close around her form and embrace her again.

And then…she was gone. That night she left, she was so cold. He could barely stand it. He could not bear the rebuff she held for him in her eyes, he liked her anger. But that silence was cold. Too cold. Normally, he didn't mind silences, he thought he would prefer them. But her silence before she left into grave danger, that was a knife to the gut.

All she had spoken were three words, three such informal words. _Of course, Sesshoumaru-niisama._

He hated it. He was so furious about it. All he could blame was himself, it was his decision to send her with Hikaru to the East. To face Lord Suoh, with only the possible help of Lord Yaruko. If Suoh caught up to them before they made it…

He had to get back to Lysia, and he had to get that piece Hikaru needed to help with uncovering the conspiracy. It would make the elimination of Hikaru's uncle legal and make the transition of power painless in the eyes of Lyterna. Otherwise, they would be in danger before the courts. Especially if they failed to eliminate him.

Damn it, he had placed her in danger again. After he had made a promise to himself that he would never allow her to fall into the path of danger again.

Annoyed at his indecision, he allowed the slightest narrowing of his eyes, before closing the door and shutting out the last vestiges of _her_ scent from his nose. He beckoned Ah-Un to follow him.

The dracon lurched forward and followed his master. As soon as he left the city behind; Sesshoumaru mounted Ah-Un and they took to the skies, heading dead west to Lysia.

The higher altitudes were far colder than on the ground, and while Sesshoumaru didn't mind the cold, it was faster to travel that way. It was a simple hassle of having to crack ice off his pelt and snap icicles off his hair.

Travel was much faster this way, he could make the entire trip within five days, stopping only to feed and care for Ah-Un. It was rare that he used Ah-Un this way. He usually preferred to remain on foot, to better inspect his territories.

He hadn't the time now, so much was at stake.

He must hurry. Ah-Un sensed their master's need and surged even faster, reaching new bounds of speed.

He had the evidence, he didn't realize at the time he had found it that it was the evidence Hikaru needed, that he had worked so hard to obtain. When he had found it, he couldn't make heads or tails of it. It was a simple thing; a simple piece of paper.

Yet he kept it, for it carried the last known scent of Hikaru and three other unknown people. He had two more of the scents identified now. That lieutenant, and Suoh…What had been that lieutenant's name? It had never been spoken, but he would remember the scent and remember it well. Who was the third?

It was not commonly known, but Prince Hikaru Temoiya was related to him, on his mother's side. Sesshoumaru's mother Ysondra Kirashi had a younger sister who wedded the Lord Temoiya. That younger sister was Yraella Kirashi Temoiya, mother to Hikaru. This of course made Hikaru only half Kitsune, yet the other half was of the powerful bloodline of Inukaito.

Inukaito; the great-grandfather of Inutaishou, first ancestor of the bloodline.

Lord Taerar, great-uncle of the Lord Inutaishou, had three offspring, two being Ysondra and Yraella.

The third being an infant daughter who was lost at sea, drowned by the Dragons of the North while they were attempting to cross to the West and sparking the deadly conflict between the dragons of the Northern Mainland and the West. It caused the war to escalate beyond the petty skirmish it would have been had they simply landed on the shores, Lord Taerar was incensed at the loss of his infant daughter. So young she hadn't even been named yet. The naming was to have been held in the Western Province, in two weeks.

As it had become clear to the Lord Taerar that he wouldn't be having a son, he finally turned his attention to Inutaishou and began grooming the young captain to take over. He even arranged his eldest daughter to be mated to him.

That was when Ryuukotsusei reared his head as the one to start the war and the cause of his infant pup's death. Taerar learned the name of his enemy. They fought for decades, and Taerar finally succumbed to an angry and bitter heart at his infant pup's loss. Though they were only daughters, they were his daughters, and he loved them fiercely.

When the young Lord Inutaishou took power, he inherited the war as well. The dragons of the mainland quickly found out that Inutaishou wasn't as complacent as his late great-uncle had been towards the end of his reign.

In the years following Inutaishou coming to power, he quickly grew more and more powerful and became known as the Dragon-Slayer Dog. Whispers said that to look upon the young Lord carefully, one could see a fiery blaze barely there on the edges of perception. He was a force to be reckoned with.

Skillfully, he completely turned the tide of battle; he drove the invasion of dragons to a complete halt, and reversed their march back to the mainland from whence they came.

An uneasy truce was made at around the time of Sesshoumaru's birth. Three hundred years later, Lord Ryuukotsusei betrayed Inutaishou, though it was a close battle, Inutaishou sealed Ryuukotsusei, and put him in a deep sleep for eternity.

Inutaishou later perished from the slow-healing injuries he received, using the last of his strength to save the life of Inuyasha and his wife Izayoi, who had been captured by the human faction who sought the destruction of the Royale Inu-Youkai regime. Inutaishou had obliterated them with his anger, and frenzied wrath at the endangerment of the ones that were his to protect.

Sesshoumaru landed in the courtyard, the late afternoon sun turning his eyes to hard topaz. Ah swung his head about and gave an inquisitive growl at Sesshoumaru. Un shook out his mane as Sesshoumaru stepped down from Ah-Un's back.

Sesshoumaru placed a hand on Ah's forehead, "Thank you, Ah-Un. You did wonderfully."

A File of the Lysian Army formed up in the courtyard in front of Sesshoumaru. The Commander-General walked forward and stopped a few paces away.

"Lord Sesshoumaru." He breathed. He clapped a mailed fist to his heart and fell to one knee, bowing his head in submission. Every one of the soldiers did likewise, and Sesshoumaru did not miss the looks of awe on some of their faces as they hesitated just a moment when they realized that the person they were bowing to was none other than their Lord.

They remained like that for the designated five seconds then rose again to stand at attention.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, command us." They all chanted, their eyes glimmering.

"Commander-General Miro." Miro straightened at hearing his name, his chest puffing out with pride at being recognized.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, I am honored you remembered me." The Commander-General had dark blue-black hair, cropped at just past his shoulders as befitting his rank. The uniform was immaculate, black with silver edging. Exactly as custom dictated, as those were the colors of the Western Army.

Sesshoumaru flicked his eyes across the cadets. They were in dark-grey uniforms, cadets. "Are these the new recruits?" They looked very green.

"Indeed. The last of the recruits arrived yesterday, I have sent in the orders to send them to the training barracks."

"Hn. Continue."

"Yes, My lord!" Miro saluted smartly and turned to the battalion of recruits. "Fifth Company, report!"

"First squad, ready!"

"Second squad, ready!"

"Third squad, ready!"

"Fourth squad, ready!"

"Fifth squad, ready!"

"Sixth squad, ready!"

"Seventh squad, ready!"

"Eighth squad, ready!"

Miro gave a brisk nod, and signaled the captain to take over. The captain nodded and turned back to his company, "Company forward!"

The troops immediately began to march forward, one squad at a time. Their iron-shod boots struck the cobblestone courtyard at an uneven rhythm. They were indeed very green compared to First Company, the usual Company he frequented for practice rounds and spars.

Sesshoumaru turned and entered through the main doorway, Tobiume was walking towards him, Rin at her side.

"Lord Sesshoumaru!" The child sang, as she broke from the measured steps she had been taking with Tobiume and clutched Sesshoumaru's leg.

"Rin." He greeted. His tone wasn't as cold as it normally would be, though to anyone else it sounded as monotonous as usual. His placed a hand on her head, and ever so gently ran his fingers through the child's hair. The girl released him, and stood back, a broad smile adorning her cheeks as she gave a small bow and ran out to Ah-Un.

Tobiume turned towards him after watching Rin's antics, "Did you get the report?" she asked, her mellow-gold eyes searching his.

"Yes, what courses of action have you taken so far?"

Tobiume dipped her head, "The infected ones have been quarantined in the most northern pasture, so that the breezes, if it is airborne, won't affect the herd. The main herd has been brought up from their usual summer pasture and placed in the pasture backing the Ume River.

"Very good, are the dams affected?"

"Sesshoumaru… three of them have fallen asleep. I cannot wake them."

"Take me to them." His face didn't change outwardly, yet his eyes were like chips of ice, and the tiniest amount of concern colored their depths.

They walked briskly down the main corridor that would lead straight to the wide and endless pastures that stretched from the Western Palace of Lysia to the shores of the sea, from the Ume River of the South to the broad Taurahe Mountains to the North.

The Palace and City of Lysia was defended from the North by the high mountain range, whose peaks were so high, and valleys were so flat and barren that wind currents made the entire range impassable.

To the south was the turbulent Ume River which roared with the beat of a thousand galloping horses. The Ume River emptied out into the sea, providing for the life of the vast coral reef which made the waters treacherous save for the Royal Port of Lysia.

As they stepped out into the sunlight, Sesshoumaru looked out across the fields to view the mares with their young. They seemed healthy enough, basking leisurely in the sun. Coats gleamed with good health.

Tobiume led him off past that pasture all the way to the last barn, some distance from the Palace. The place was crawling with handlers and healers trying their best to cure the poor beasts.

Sesshoumaru and Tobiume entered the wide barn of stone walls and slate roofs. Just as Tobiume had said, three dams were suspended in slings that supported their weight; their heads were also hung in silk harnesses to make sure circulation was regulated evenly.

Their eyes were closed and they breathed regularly, deeply and slowly. Sesshoumaru gazed upon the sleeping beasts, placing a hand on their flanks, and checking their health. Though their usual lifeforce was vibrant and rather strong, blazing like torches when they were in good health, their energy now was muted and almost nonexistent. As if they were simply sleeping.

"See? They sleep. Most vital signs are stable, yet they grow weaker."

"You know what these are, Grandmother. Remember they depend on magic more than we do."

Tobiume pursed her lips, and furrowed her brow in confusion. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"The Chimes were never banished from this world. They were only contained within the Jewel of Four Souls, Kagome found the information in a tale, backed up with other historical knowledge she was able to locate using it in her search."

Tobiume started, her ears flicking about and her left hand rising to her lips on reflex to kiss her ring finger. "Amaterasu save us… Are you sure?"

"Her explanation sounds a lot more plausible than our earlier explanation."

"About the Lamials causing the drain of magic?"

"Correct."

"What a fascinating girl, I really must thank you again for indulging the whim of an old lady, Sesshoumaru."

"Hn."

"What are we going to do? What can we do for these poor mothers?"

"There is nothing you can do, keeping them comfortable is best. They won't suffer as much that way. We can only hope that Kagome will find the shards and complete the Jewel soon."

"Amaterasu aid that girl then."

* * *

Later, Sesshoumaru was in his closet, looking for the pinewood box he had placed that particular paper scroll within. The boxes were small and neatly stacked, organized by size, color, and scent. Admittedly, he was a creature obsessed with detail and perfection. It was really no wonder that even his closet was orderly and neat.

Following his nose, he moved aside stacks of the boxes until he came to the stack of pinewood boxes. As the scent became stronger, memories of the box in question filtered through his thoughts, the shape, the feel, the exact shade of the pale yellow wood.

Quickly, he spotted the box he was looking for and drew it out. He slid the lid upon the grooves and looked down at the scroll sitting within. It was untouched and perfect. Well, as perfect as a water-stained scroll could be. Nevertheless, it was exactly as he had left it.

He slid the lid back long its grooves and resealed the box. Leaving the closet behind, he strolled out with his box in hand and entered his study. He looked over the stacks of reports waiting for him. He scowled darkly inside his head, but set the box on the edge of his desk and sat down to read them.

It was important to read through the reports given by ones subordinates as the information held within could be beneficial to him and help him with various puzzles concerning his lands and the territories that bordered his lands.

But information like that came only rarely and far between. It wasn't that his scouts and boundary wardens were unobservant; it was that information pertaining to his needs was a rarity. He couldn't create news and observations.

The boundary wardens only reported everything observed, they didn't tell that he wanted to hear, or made up information, they only did their job of being a boundary warden. They protected and enforced Sesshoumaru's rule, they rebuffed invasive forces, and made regular patrols to look for anything unusual or suspicious.

When he finished the last report, he leaned back with a sigh. There had been nothing significant, other than the report from Boundary Warden Shishio that told him that cicadas had not risen this year as expected to make their songs and sounds. As odd as that was, he couldn't see any significance.

As far as he knew, cicadas were not magical.

His brows furrowed. Cicadas were strange creatures, they lived for a total time of sixteen years of their lives as wingless pupae; when the time came for them to rise up, as one, thousands of cicadas would climb up a great height and then the fully mature cicada would burst from the back of the pupae and would rise on broad iridescent wings. Leaving behind the land-bound body forever as an empty shell.

Could there be a magical trigger in there somewhere?

The cicadas had not risen.

It was possible that there was a magical trigger that failed to be set off, the magic could have failed for them; grown too weak to aid the cicadas and countless other animals and insects. As it was doing to Youkai with their inability to reproduce. The earth was dying. Changing from what Sesshoumaru knew, to something he could not recognize.

He felt a strange foreboding; it was not fear that gripped him, but a certain dread. Dread that he knew what was to come to pass. The world's life was crumbling further, if it was also failing for most animals who did not exhibit any magical awareness.

He had to trust Kagome to end the Shikon no Tama. She could do it. She had been born for this. She may not know exactly how; but when the time came, she would save them all. She had to. She was Kagome Higurashi. He had to trust Kagome. And it infuriated him endlessly that he was not sure how to proceed to ensure the ultimate success.

He stamped his signature on the reports and set them aside, Jaken would later sort and file them away for later reviewing.

"Jaken."

It took three seconds for the toad Youkai to knock at the door with a stammered, "Yes, Milord?"

"Enter."

Jaken entered and immediately prostrated himself before Sesshoumaru's desk. Sesshoumaru resisted the fierce urge to growl in annoyance.

"Take these and sort them as required."

Jaken jumped to obey, taking the reports gingerly in both hands and bowing once again.

"Y-yes, milord! I shall do exactly as you have told me to!" He cried. Jaken left the room swiftly.

Sesshoumaru paused for a small time, and then left the room carrying his box with him. He entered his bedroom as the western sun drifted closer to the horizon.

The days of forced rapid travel left him feeling drained and exhausted. He untied and unbuckled his armor, letting it fall to the floor with a heavy thud. Painstakingly, he changed into proper sleeping attire before collapsing onto his bed above the blankets.

Not for the first time, he wished Kagome was nearby. It had been so long since her scent graced his nose.

Yet for the first time in a long time; he truly slept, completely unaware of the world around him.

* * *

Kagome, Hikaru, and Finlar trotted doggedly through the woods, up towards the mountains in the East. Their misty peaks seemed so near yet no matter how far they traveled in a day, they never seemed to come any closer. Though Kagome was certain they made progress.

They kept talking to a minimum, trying to conserve energy and stay under Lord Suoh's radar. They knew he searched for them. Luckily, they still had three days travel ahead of him. Kagome and Hikaru took turns riding in the lead, at times Kagome would be on the ground making rounds around the young pair on foot as she went about covering their tracks and making sure they weren't being followed.

She was on the defensive at all times, constantly checking things over and adjusting straps on the saddle. She barely took time off to hunt, though she knew she needed to, she was loathe to leave Hikaru alone long enough to do so. Her mind had relapsed into a primal level of consciousness, she never acted aggressively towards the pups, because they were pack. Because of her nature, she had quickly enclosed Finlar as part of her pack.

Eventually, she was forced to hunt or risk viewing the pups as potential meals. She hunted and devoured two deer and a boar, and dropped the bones into the river to wash away downstream. She harried the group on mercilessly. Hikaru mastered sleeping in the saddle. She felt awful for driving these children as she did, but their lives were forfeit if they lagged behind or became too complacent.

Five days later they reached the foot of the mountains, she allowed them to rest in a cave. The children slept torpidly, completely unmoving. As she looked down at their sleeping faces, Kagome felt regret at pushing them so. They were only children.

The horses also received some much needed rest, and a full meal. They gratefully accepted the chance to rest their tired bodies.

She kept watch over them; her ears, eyes, nose, and sense of touch were all focused entirely for anything moving toward them. She kept an ear to the solid rock beneath her to feel for the trembling vibrations of rapidly moving feet. Any sign at all that Suoh was how on their trail. A feeling of dread continued to push against her senses, and she greatly feared that something was indeed coming their way.

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When the children woke up later that evening, a feast was laid out before them. Rice was cooked to perfection, and lightly buttered. Venison and beef slowly braised over the flames. They cried out in delight at the spread and leapt from their bedrolls.

Eagerly, they withdrew bowls and eating utensils and began to help themselves to the food prepared. A scuffling sound reached their ears some time later, and they froze with their eyes glued to the entrance of the cave. A dark head of hair came into sight, and they visibly relaxed. Kagome lifted her head and saw them there.

She smiled, "I'm glad you're awake, go ahead and eat. All is well, my ducks. We'll be leaving again soon tonight."

They nodded their heads and continued to eat. Kagome joined them with her own bowl and set of clean chopsticks and they all devoured the meal with gusto.

True to her word, Kagome had them loaded up on the horses again as soon as they finished cleaning up their camp.

* * *

Many times as they trotted forward in the dim light of the stars and the sliver of moon in the skies they saw her pause and turn her head about as if listening for something. The edge of fear in her eyes had them ducking their heads and continuing forward with no voiced concerns for a break.

Suoh had finally found their trail.

As they entered higher into the mountains, the air became colder and frozen mists snaked along the winding mountain trails. The horses moved with swift sure-footed movements, their heads level as they briskly moved along. They were exhausted, and their riders led them on foot as often as they were carried by them. But they were strong and proud creatures, and they refused to break under the strain.

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Chapter Thirteen Fini.

I hope you enjoyed this version more, I know I did...I guess I like to keep things dark after all...Oh man! I just realized that I need to update teh chapters on Dokuga, too! Crap!...I'll do it later...

Selenay of Antioch

I'll probably have to remove Chapter Fourteen entirely at this rate...this story has changed too much.


	14. The Terror that Grips Us

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Inuyasha or anything else in here, nor do I gain any profit from this fiction. Basically if you recognize it, it's probably not mine.**

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**By the way, I am terribly sorry for the long pause between updates. I had a real tough time with my writer's block, and just when I broke it, I got so sick I was in the hospital for a while. But I'm alright now, and chapters should be coming more frequently. I'll be working to get back on schedule, asap.**

**At least I got the next three chapters roughly planned out, no?**

**Selenay of Antioch bids you welcome to her fiction, and to enjoy the ride. **

**P.S. There are some rather gruesome scenes in this one, so just a heads up, it may not be for the faint of heart or stomach.**

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Chapter Fourteen: The Terror that Grips Us

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Dawn would be breaking over the horizon soon, but the night sky was still quite dark in the thick cloudy sky. It was difficult even for Kagome , Finlar, and Hikaru who usually could see quite well in the dark. There was not even starlight to light their way now. They were little less blind than the horses they faithfully led, their movements tentative as they felt their way in the darkness. Kagome and the others were leading them along, walking in front of them and tracing out the path for the horses to follow as best they could.

No one spoke a word. They kept their movements hushed and soft. Minimizing the rustling of leather and cloth scrapping together. Hikaru and Finlar's forward movement was constant along the high mountain trail. Kagome continued to make out false trails and paths to try and give Suoh the slip, but always managing to catch back up to the boys later. A long high-pitched howl reached their ears, and causing Hikaru to flinch; Suoh just realized he was on a false trail.

He swung his head back towards the sound, his nose wrinkling distastefully. "Kagome…"

She had gone back to lay another false trail and check Suoh's progress on the trail she had set him on. He hoped she would be cautious. Lord Suoh was quite strong, almost as strong as his father, who was almost more powerful than Sesshoumaru himself. Not many actually wanted to tangle with his father; he had grown his ninth tail seventy years ago.

Lord Suoh had seven tails, which was devastating in action. His power was terrifying.

Hikaru forced his gaze ahead of himself and tugged firmly at Taver. The mare grunted softly and twitched forward, eager and anxious to put distance between herself and danger. Rocks crunched underfoot, and a few loose pebbles worked their way free, falling away off into the darkness just three feet to Hikaru's left side. The pathway continued along the circumference of the mountain they were on, tree-roots wound about intermittently along the path around the bend. Hikaru knew the path well, even after almost thirty years of wandering as a fugitive, he still remembered the way home.

The path was slightly different, yet it was still the same path. The trees he had known when he was younger were greater giants than before, and younger daughter trees raised their sapling branches to the skies next to their forbearers. These were the trees of Inari, their roots sank deep into the sacred soil of Inari's Mountains. Where ever these countless trees rooted themselves in the soil and rock of these mountains was the chosen resting place, the haven, of the god Inari.

The great Fox Kami was said to wander the mountains, and appear to young Kitsune who sought him out.

Sometimes taking young Vixens into his fold, and returning them ages later, bearing his kit beneath her breast. These kits were born with no scent at all of their own, they smelled only of the trees, the soil, the mountains.

Hikaru didn't know if it was true, if it was, he really needed the god right now. He, just like any other young boy, had gone out into the dense forests, wandering and searching for the Fox god, hoping that if he found the Fox, the god might grant him a boon.

He had wandered for days, nothing ever happened, nothing ever came. Like all the other youth, he gave up and went back home. He was too young to understand that he had been carefully tailed by a five-tail Avowed to his father to keep him from harm.

Now, as they trotted doggedly along the path, cold mist and drizzle soaked through their clothes and made their hair damp. It was always cold and damp on this trail, save in the winter when the mountain pass froze over and made it impassable.

In the inky darkness, the mist and fog obscured much of their surroundings. The air was still, and no wind blew. The darkness cloaked Hikaru and Finlar and sheltered them from view, the moist earth did not keep the shape of their prints; the soil fell back on itself and obscured the footprints on occasion.

Hikaru was abruptly alerted to the presence of another when a heavy rustling of the branches became audible, the bushes swayed and shook not far off the path. Hikaru stopped, Taver froze just behind him, tense and still. He couldn't see anyone or anything save the shaking bushes.

A dark form rose up suddenly, and Hikaru drew a sharp breath, but his nose was dead in this wet, all he could smell were the coniferous trees. The form lurched and leapt over the bushes, and landed crouched in front of Hikaru, breathing heavily with great exertion. The armor clinked softly, the steel mesh under the bone plate tinkled dully in the humid air.

A miniscule pulse of spiritual pressure brushed against him, and Hikaru relaxed all at once as the figure rose up to reveal the dark-green and black armor of the Western Lands design.

Kagome lifted her head, half-healed scratches from brambles and thorny bushes marred her face; though they would heal soon without a trace. Twigs and leaves were tangled in her braid, and strands along near her ears had been drawn and dragged from the neat plait to trail limply over her point-tipped ears and down her back.

"Kagome!" Hikaru breathed, a smile spreading across his face. Kagome shot forward, clamping a hand over his mouth and tucking his head under her arm.

"Hush. He is right behind us." She said, her voice barely above a whisper. Slowly, she released him when she felt he understood the severity of the situation. Silently, she slipped past him and untied Rukaze's reins from Taver's cantle.

She checked on Finlar and Sasayaki, then moved to the back of the group to harry them along, and cover the tracks. Earlier, she had looped ahead of Hikaru and as she patrolled the area and past a broad field of open grass in a high-meadow, she found the gaping entrance of a large tunnel in the side of the mountain connecting to the one they traveled along. It had been hewn straight through the rock, and did not appear natural.

It could only be the entrance to the Eastern Lands and these mountains they were surrounded by could only be the mountains that cradled the city of Deforya. The Youkai city of Foxes.

Several times during Kagome's plays at confusing the Fox Lord's brother had almost led to her capture. She always managed to evade him at the last moment, he had even caught sight of her a few times, but she always ran down false trails until she was far enough ahead that she gave him the slip, then she would take to the skies, using her Youki to glide for a short distance and alight on the ground, taking care to hide her scent trail back to the boys.

Kagome pulled urgently at Rukaze and clicked her tongue at him, he obediently broke into a trot despite the suffocating darkness surrounding them and she heard Hikaru and Finlar draw their mares into a trot as well further up ahead. She had bought them at least another two hours with her last stunt; Hikaru had given her spelled acorns so that when she set them off, copies of herself and Rukaze, Finlar and Sasayaki, Hikaru and Taver all ran down the pathway she set them on. Visually, they had been perfect, the scents were also very close as Hikaru had used hair samples from everyone to make them.

Once they reached the open field, Kagome looped around the boys as they trotted on towards the tunnel. Once she assured herself that the scents of the place were all clean and devoid of Suoh's scent, she turned back the way they came, and stared down the trail; searching for any signs of his approach. Eventually, Suoh would have no choice but to trace this trail, and follow them into the tunnel just on the other side of the meadow.

She wondered how long it would take before Suoh caught up to them. Not long, she supposed; last time she saw had spotted him, his eyes had been turning red, and his form was elongating to that of a massive fox as he chased down the illusions she had set off.

She reluctantly turned away from her watch, and followed after the boys swiftly moving towards the tunnel.

She was just beginning to step foot into the tunnel when Kagome's deepest fears were realized. A heavy spiritual pressure washed over them, causing them to freeze in their motions. The air became difficult to breathe, and harder still to even turn to run. A chilling fox's cackle rent the air, and Kagome's spine stiffened as she turned her head, her hands gripping her glaive tightly.

She knew he was stronger than her, she knew it, with every pulse of his youki, it almost drove her to her knees.

Suoh dropped down just behind them, and fluidly lunged past Kagome straight for Hikaru. Red eyes were intent and focused solely on his nephew. Time seemed to slow as adrenaline flooded Kagome's system, she brought her glaive up and then brutally slashed downwards on the large fox as he ran past her.

She wanted nothing better than to turn tail and run, because she knew so very well that he completely outmatched her. But she couldn't, she had to protect Hikaru and Finlar. She had to keep them from getting hurt. If she ran now, she knew he would just hunt her down and kill her. She had to win, the boys were counting on her. And not just the ones in the tunnel, but the one within her, as well. She had to win.

"No, you are to fight me, Suoh!" She growled.

The fox swiftly evaded her strike and twisted his body ninety degrees to leap up at Kagome instead, she threw an arm up to block his claws as he tackled her out of the saddle. Rukaze screamed as Kagome hit the ground on her back, the wind driven forcefully from her lungs on impact with the stony ground. The fox landed on top of her, pinning her with his larger mass. With a deep growl, he snaked his head toward her throat only to meet the haft of her glaive.

The other horses screamed and rushed into the tunnel, Hikaru and Finlar leaping from the mares backs to pause at the entrance of the cave mouth to watch fearfully the outcome of this duel.

She worked her jaw, and cried out as strongly as she could, "Hikaru, run!"

Hikaru's eyes slid to her, and he looked sick at the thought of leaving her there. He hesitated, Finlar tugged at him, his face was like stone. Still the boy stood there dumbly, as if still unsure. Kagome bore her gaze into him, willing him onwards.

"Fly, you fool!"

Hikaru's face twisted in misery, but he nodded his head and turned to enter the tunnel, the horses followed behind him, Taver nipping at the other mare's heels to get her to run faster.

Kagome struggled under the strain of the enormous fox, gritting her teeth with exertion. She heard Rukaze give another strange scream. It sounded angry and ominous and it brought her back to that wintery day on the beach, when she had found him. His scream had been just like that.

It was strange, such a strange scream. A sudden chill washed over her.

That scream, it shook her somehow. It brought her back to that day, she even thought she could see snowflakes swirling down, just like back then. That piercing scream cutting the air, he hadn't really been surprised to see her, more like he had been surprised to see _her _and _not_ the Wyrm Youkai she had fought. Perhaps, just maybe, her horse had always been a warrior.

A War Horse.

She had heard of them before, horses bred and trained for battle. They thirsted for it, for the fight. Horses who were truly as deadly, or even more deadly, than their own rider. Her thoughts went wild as she recalled the deadly effect War Horses had on a battle field. It went back to the warring states period in Greece, when the Persians came with the Thracian horses, monstrous beasts who were thought to be mythical in nature.

They were said to be carnivorous, their riders starved them three days before a battle, and when allowed to charge towards the enemy… the horses literally tore the enemy forces apart and fed even in the heat of battle. Tearing off limbs, and devouring their enemies alive. The only ones they didn't eat were their riders, for the strange love they bore them.

Above all, they were…

Dangerous.

Had they been Horse Youkai?

There was another shrill scream. It was such a strange an sinister scream; even now, she felt a sudden chill leaking into her bones and her breath felt like it was close to rattling between her teeth. As stars danced in her vision, she fancied that she saw flakes of snow coming down with the drizzle and rain that steadily fell.

Abruptly, Suoh was flung away from her, and Kagome saw dark legs fly over her followed by a dark body. She turned her head to see Rukaze charging at Suoh, his ears flat against his head. His nostrils flared red and his eyes blazed. She stared, almost too astonished to breathe.

Rukaze was charging and feinting at Suoh, moving fluidly with the elegance of a dancer. But that was not the most startling thing; Rukaze had turned solid black, and his eyes glimmered dark red like fresh blood. His spiritual pressure struck like a tidal wave against her and it felt full of fury. He was definitely _not_ a normal horse. Kagome had never dreamed that she had possessed a war horse, but not only a war-horse, a Youkai-Warhorse as well. How did this happen? It didn't matter right now, she needed to get up and help her horse.

Suoh recovered from the kicks and lashes from the beast, and began to retaliate.

Kagome struggled to her feet, knowing she had to hurry if she still wanted to save her horse. Her brave, brave horse.

As soon as she stood up and steadied her breathing she ran forward to attack. Suoh changed his target to her once more, and Rukaze fell back to the sidelines to watch for opportunities. The fox cackled madly, "My, my. Kagome-sama sure get around; not only is she carrying her brother's pup, but she also managed to get a Horse Youkai as her mount."

He leered at her, his eyes glinting, "Tell me, what did you sacrifice to him to convince him to carry you? Hmm? Your first born? They all come with a price, you know. What a fancy trick! To think everyone thought it was a regular horse!"

Kagome swallowed thickly, a price? What price? She hadn't made any deal with Rukaze…not like that.

"I carry whomever I please, Kagome-sama is not like others at all; she is altogether more than she appears." A deep baritone sounded from the black Rukaze's throat. His spiritual pressure exerted itself angrily, and the ground froze at his feet, icicles formed on his mane and tail as the air around him grew drastically colder.

Kagome found herself distracted by the element Rukaze seemed to command. The air around his hooves was so cold, his hooves glowed blue.

"Rukaze?" Kagome whispered, she felt hearted by the Horse Youkai's admission about her, relieved to hear he didn't seem to demand a price from her.

He turned one impossibly red eye upon her, "I am as you called me, though it is not my given name, and certainly not my true name. For now, it is enough you call me Rukaze."

"Alright then, let's fight."

The horse raised his great head up high into the air, and his nostrils flared, "Indeed. Let us see if you can keep up with his lordship."

Kagome grinned, "Challenge accepted."

Kagome and the horse lord closed ranks and attacked the fox together. Seamlessly, Kagome ducked and weaved under Rukaze's attacks as he lashed at the fox with his hooves and impressive wolf-fangs. His attacks were made even more effective by the awesome chill and complete cold that radiated from him, and sent in concentrated blasts of ice that numbed and chilled the fox.

Together they drove Suoh back, relentlessly pursuing and driving the fox away from the tunnel entrance. Kagome even dared hope that they could defeat him.

But it was just not possible; wounds inflicted on the big fox healed far too quickly, eventually, Suoh landed incapacitating blows to Rukaze and impaled the horse on a tree root he summoned from the earth, and he was rooted to the spot. Daring not to move lest he kill himself, he sent what support he could in sending even more of the icy wind toward Suoh and slowing him down enough so Kagome would have a better chance at landing a successfully mortal hit.

Painfully, he advanced on Kagome, and bit by bit, she was forced to give up ground as they traded strikes. Kagome focused carefully on Suoh, dodging and sliding away from his attacks as gingerly as possible, all the while, his seven tails waved ominously on the wind. Taunting her with strength not yet experienced. Finally, Kagome saw an opening in his fluid defenses, and she quickly took the opportunity to attack. She rushed forward inside his guard, and slashed downwards.

His head twisted to the side and caught the blade with his teeth, his claws caught the wooden haft of her pole. Kagome's eyes widened in surprise, as she tried to twist and yank it free. Why would he grab it? Why would he bite onto it like that? She had hardly registered the thought when the answer presented itself.

To her complete shock and horror, there was a loud clang as he bit right through the folded steel, shards of the hot metal flew away. One shard imbedded itself right in her eye, Kagome screamed in surprise and pain and she reeled back. She felt hot blood splash down her cheek, making burning tracks down her face. Her hand came up, swiping at the blood and questing toward the shard sticking in her eye. There was a loud crack as the haft of her glaive was shattered under the explosive force of his claws.

Kagome reeled backwards, her hands suddenly empty as the long pole was ripped from her hands. But her attention was focused on her own world of pain, her fingers carefully ran over her eye, searching for the shard. She could feel it, it was still there. Colors and shapes were flaring wildly in her brain as her optical nerve was abruptly shattered. All she could see was red. Red and blackness.

_My eye! How can I fight like this? I'm blind!_

You still have one good eye; fight. You must fight, Kagome. It is time to fight.

The voice was starting to sound like Sesshoumaru's silky tenor.

She wiped the tears from her eye and tried to check the damage with the other one. A blurry glance told her that Suoh had also shattered the haft of her glaive. Blood still ran from her eye, but it seemed to have slowed down to clot and try heal.

The pain was excruciating. It made her other eye tear up whether she wanted it to or not. She blinked furiously, trying to clear her vision. A large paw lashed out and struck her right leg, striking her enameled Youkai-forged scale plate and deadening the nerves the muscles. She hissed as the strike also jarred, and caused a fresh wave of pain to lash up her body.

She took a step back, and her leg threatened to give out on her, trying to put space between herself and Suoh. She ran a hand over her eye, and wiped the tears gingerly. Then she grazed her fingers over her left socket and sucked in a breath as pain flared up again. Her questing claws brushed over the shard stuck in her eye, and she felt the wind of Suoh's passage incoming. She dodged and jumped blindly through her teary gaze to a ledge on the Cliffside out of Suoh's reach.

Her fingers went back to her face and found the shard again. She pinched it with her claws and pulled, it came free with a wet squelch and her body shuddered with the pain of it all. She blacked out and her body toppled off the side back into the clearing. She landed with a dull thump, and her eye opened just enough to see Suoh walking towards her, a wicked gleam in his eye with his tails waving idly in the air similar to an angry scorpion.

She lost consciousness again for a moment, and woke up again when Suoh's heavy paw pressed down on her back, her eye snapped open, and a heavy growl worked its way free from her throat. Her right hand came up, and braced against the ground and she prepared to rise up and fight. She could not let it end this way, and be butchered like a dog, for she knew he meant to kill her and everyone else.

Suoh calmly brought his great head down and Kagome felt his teeth sliding over her wrist. As the grip tightened she froze and turned her head to look up at him. He gazed down at her coldly, and Kagome sucked in air with trepidation.

"Please don't!" She cried.

With a firm jerk, he yanked it backward, and Kagome's mind reeled in shock. "No!"

Colors and shapes distorted right before her mind's eye and the world tilted on its axis. She felt with fascinated horror every muscle and individual bone protest and scream in that moment.

The sound of crunching bone rent the air. Kagome's collective perceptions of the world erupted in pain, and her vision shorted out for a time. For a split moment, the world lost the last bits of focus she had; colors leached from the world around her, shapes began to distort right before her eyes. It felt so strange to recognize all of these distortions while at the same time, she was painfully, excruciatingly, aware of the agony of her arm being shattered. Muscles was torn away and she felt her radius and ulna shudder and separate.

Her mouth opened in a silent scream, as her body shuddered once again from the damage. Suoh thrashed for good measure, and Kagome lost consciousness again.

His jaws opened and released her arm, sending fresh waves of agony lancing up her arm to her spine and washing through the rest of her body. She managed to release a ragged cry then, her eye squeezing shut as fresh tears of pain welled up and flooded her eyes.

This couldn't be happening. No, this had to be a dream. Her fingers were slack, and she turned her eye to stare up at the slowly lightening sky. It was gray up there. Well, it might be gray. Right now, her eyes were trying to tell her all kinds of things. She wanted to scream, why couldn't she scream? She screamed all the time when she was younger, but now it died in her throat. She couldn't even manage to scream.

Suoh stepped away from her body, and paced toward the tunnel entrance where Hikaru, Finlar, and the horses had fled.

She growled, trying to lift herself up. She slipped, and fell again, the rain and mud beneath her was strangely warm.

Fear gripped Kagome, and she lurched to her feet. Blood ran down her arm to run in a stream to the ground. She took a step, and fell into the mud. She turned her head to be able to breathe, and took a deep breath before trying again. She raised her good arm and placed it solidly against the ground, and drew up her opposite leg to get to her hand and knees. Her arm went down under the pressure, and she rolled over onto her back.

Crying she whispered apologies to them, then began apologizing to the son who was never born; Sesshoumaru would not receive his heir, Tobiume would not receive her great-grandson. Shippo, sweet Hikaru, would not be reunited with his father and mother, and Finlar would not finish his task, he would be killed as well, for being witness to these events. She had warned those council members, she told them flat out that this was no quest for children. It had been enough that she was to race to the East with Hikaru, then they dumped another child in her lap.

A pitter-pattering reached her ears as rain began to fall from the sky, landing all around her, and falling onto her face. She felt cold seeping into her body. The heat leaving her. Her hands felt numb, well…she couldn't honestly feel the fingers on her right hand…what with having it torn away as she did.

She felt unbearably tired now, though. Her energy was leaving her.

For these things, she chanted apologies until she fell unconscious for some time. Frost trailed its way to her from ice-blue hooves as Rukaze stood whimpering, eyes trained on the sweet girl he had carried. A tree root was lodged through his sternum, coming dangerously close to killing him, but for now it rooted him to the spot. Rendering him immobile.

He helped her now as best he could, frost covered the ground around her, and clung to the edges of her clothing. The air around her grew steadily colder, causing the falling rain to turn to ice. The ice began encasing her body, steam rose from her injuries as her temperature dropped steadily. All he could do for her now was to numb her from the pain and ease her passage into death as quietly and peacefully as possible. With as little pain as possible. Now, it would be only as if she fell asleep. He would follow her soon enough. He had to make sure she didn't suffer any longer, though.

He wish, just briefly, that he could have told her his true name; she wouldn't have misused it. Rukaze watched her, and if a horse could cry, he would have done so. His heart ached for the girl. She lay on her back in the icy mud, her breathing had become erratic as her chest heaved and labored to suck in air. It wouldn't be long now. Her eye roved around, seeing everything, and recognizing nothing. It would not be long now.

Her breath stopped fogging the air as her body was now as cold as the ice she was being encased by. Abruptly, her breathing slowed, and became as if nonexistent. Her eye stared sightlessly upwards toward the slowly lightening sky. Ice crawled up over her arms and legs and traveled up her chest toward her head. It covered her in a crystalline coffin. Rukaze shuddered, and slumped on the massive tree root that impaled him.

The ice traveled up his form, now. Covering and encasing him more quickly and completely as he surrendered himself to his element. This was Youkai-ice, and it would never melt. Her body would be preserved now forever, as would his. It was his last stand against Suoh; with their bodies preserved like this, the scent of Suoh pervading their wounds. Suoh would be found out no matter what.

In the darkness of the mountainous predawn light, two white shapes alighted on the ground. The first white being took one look around the field and raced into the tunnel. The second, a slightly larger being had focused its gaze solely on the girl laying in the puddle of frozen blood, encased in the ice. It walked forward, purpose in their stride. As it came closer, it could see the horrific damage that had been dealt to the girl. It whined softly, and one golden-green eye cracked open to look at her sleepily through the ice.

She blinked her good eye, darkness seeping into her vision. She couldn't move any longer. She didn't really feel like moving anyways.

She saw something bright, something very bright in all the darkness around her.

She blinked again, her eye tracing the silver and white fur, and the strange red markings all over the face looming over hers. She hadn't sensed them coming, it looked like she was farther gone than she had thought.

She gave a little sigh, how beautiful, to be graced with such a vision at the end of all things?

There seemed to be a slash, a strange line of nothingness, and the ice encasing Kagome shattered. Her gold-flecked green eyes stared sightlessly at the sky, and her face was bloodless, her lips a pale-white in death, or close to it.

The large square ears flicked, and the luminous golden eyes gazed down at her. The bright creature gave a soft whine before licking her face fondly. Cleaning the blood from her cheek and then vigorously licking at her socket. Kagome wanted to reel back, and bat them away. Pain lanced through her in fresh waves, and her vision flickered. Her arm wasn't responding though, neither of them were. She settled for a fierce hiss instead.

Immobilized, she could not evade the great white wolf with the strange markings. The wolf seemed unconcerned with the pain she was putting Kagome through, or perhaps the wolf meant to eat her? Kagome squeezed her eyes shut, and suddenly the wolf lifted away from her face and walked over to Kagome's arm.

As the figure stood there, plants welled up around their feet as their power poured forth and life was renewed.

Instead of diving right in to lick it as well, the wolf stood and stared at the arm. Then, her tail came around, and the tail-tip pointed straight at Kagome's arm. Kagome blinked her eyes open, then gasped in astonishment of two things.

She could _see_ again! Her vision was clear, and she could see the dawning light in the gray clouds above her, shapes were distinct once again, and colors were so fantastically vibrant in that eye, like it was a newly born eye.

Then, the cold feeling of _something_ was washing over her right arm, soothing the fire of the pain that her wrist was in. Kagome looked down at her arm to see something that almost made her lose whatever she had in her stomach. Her bones and muscles were moving by themselves and rewinding back into a whole arm once more. A fresh pale white layer of skin covered everything with a silver shiver, leaving everything whole once more.

"My…" She croaked. The great white wolf looked at her sharply, and Kagome found herself automatically laying back and exposing her throat to the wolf; it was the most natural thing in the world.

She lay back in the mud, and gave a soft whine, lifting her head and exposing her throat to the wolf. The wolf looked down at her with a gentle expression, and Kagome found herself drawn into those golden eyes. She breathed in slowly, and then slowly let it out.

This wolf was the mother of all wolves; she was enormous, beautiful, and with the golden nimbus coupled with the red markings adorning her body in elegant swirls, she could only be one being.

The Sun goddess of all things in this world, and the direct ancestress of her race, the goddess of the West.

"Amaterasu!" She croaked, her eyes never leaving the wolf's face. "Thank you." She rasped as she tried to sit up and get to her feet. She was stopped by a large paw pressing her back against the ground. Kagome fell back, her strength spent, and looked back up at the wolf questioningly. She was no fool, she knew in this state that she would be useless in battle. But the boys…

"Please, I need to get up; the one who did this to me, Suoh, he's going after them…" She gasped as she labored to speak. "I must help…"

The wolf stared down at her dispassionately before looking off towards the tunnel for a moment. Her eyes were blank and completely unreadable. "Please…" Kagome mumbled, the wolf looked down at her again as if just remembering she was there, and Kagome felt a heavy lethargy washing over her.

She blinked once, her eyes felt so heavy, and heavy blossoms waved about her, washing her with their light floral scent. Kagome remembered Tobiume telling her about how life sprang unbidden at Amaterasu's feet.

Blossoms and flowers sprang up and bloomed even in the dead of winter…

She closed her eyes, unable to fight it any longer, and fell asleep.

When she was sure the girl had fallen asleep, the wolf turned away and took off after her brother into the tunnel. She knew, of course, that her brother would be drawn to the kit first. It was good, they needed to stop the fox before he killed his own blood. If anything, her brother Inari was always sympathetic when it came to kits. He viewed all of the kits as his own.

It was the same for her, but oftentimes the pups of her line were all cherished by their parents, so she didn't get as many chances to meet with and dote on them. It was strange, how her line were considered Inu Youkai, when she herself was a wolf. She blamed it on Waka's blood seeping into the breeding. He always did call their younglings "dogs." Perhaps that was how the name had stuck. After all, Waka was the one who brought their later pups down to the mortal lands. Because of Waka, the pups could materialize as either human-shaped or wolf-shaped at birth.

She raced down into the darkness, her eyesight perfect in the heavy gloom which permeated the air. Barreling around the corner, she heard the sharp barks of her brother followed by the whines of another. She lunged faster, small flowers and golden stalks trailed in her wake as Life bloomed up at her feet while she ran.

Inari stood regal in his white fur. The red and orange markings on his face stood out starkly and appeared to glow. He was crouched in front of the kit and pup, his lips lifted in a wordless snarl of outrage. Suoh stood in a cautious yet unmoving stance. He was reluctant to face the Fox God, but equally reluctant to let go of the kit and pup.

Inari gave a high pitch yowl and took another step toward Suoh, giving the fox one last chance to back off. Amaterasu snarled, and quickened her pace. Suoh wasn't going to let them go. She knew this, could taste it in the blood of her daughter back in the meadow. If he left now, he would only be back for more. No, he had signed his fate. It was time he paid in full, too.

Inari's cold amethyst eyes glanced her way, and his own lips began to draw back in a snarl. Suoh turned his head and saw her coming, and reacted quickly. He swung about, and lashed at Inari. Inari batted his face away with his tail as he jumped back to crouch over the younglings.

Amaterasu lunged straight at Suoh's feet, and at the last moment, she jumped up, aiming for Suoh's face. Her speed was unrivaled, and her aim was true. Her fangs crunched down on the left side of Suoh's lower jawbone. His claws slashed downwards, and struck her side. A solar flare lit up the room for a brief moment as the injury was inflicted.

Her eyes glittered as an ominous growl ripped its way free from her jaws. Suoh reeled back, but it was too late. She gave a sharp tug, and ripped the jawbone straight out. She spat the bone onto the ground, and gave a wild snarl, her lips curled up and blood ran from her drenched fangs. Her eyes were cold angry. There would be no sympathy for him.

Suoh howled raggedly, blood gushed and ran down his front to splash to the floor. His head hung low in horror. His tongue lolled out, dangling from the gaping hole that had been his mouth. Hikaru gasped in shock and horror at the violence of the action and turned his face away. Finlar watched it with cold eyes, his mouth set in a grimace.

Amaterasu lunged again, lunging for his throat, but he evaded the attack and Amaterasu was forced to catch her balance on the smooth and slippery stone floor. Blood stained her chest and her chin, her eyes were like golden coals.

The white wolf's tail swung around, the tip pointed in the vague direction of Suoh's feet, and the fox cocked his head curiously. Suddenly, a round shape materialized at his feet. It was covered in orange paper, with splatters of other colors mixed on it. A fuse was sticking out, and was rapidly disappearing as the tip burned. Suoh froze, not knowing what it was. His gaze was focused entirely on the ball, he glanced up to see Inari's cold smirk in place, and Amaterasu's grin.

They were both standing far back, and made no move to come closer.

Whatever this was, it was definitely not good. Suoh brought his foot up, and made to kick it, but the moment his foot made contact with it, a heavy roar shattered the still air. Fire laced out with impressive force, and struck against him. Burning him and throwing him back.

His back struck the wall, and his body collapsed to the ground in a charred and singed heap. He could feel his jaw regenerating. Yet the rest of him burned with fresh and raw burns. He blinked his eyes open, trying to peer down at himself in the smoky air, and found most of his body was exposed to the open air, the hair had been burned away with the force of the explosion, leaving his skin freshly exposed to the air. What was exposed was blackened and charred. He inhaled sharply, and then coughed, sending fresh waves of pain racing up his form. Blood spattered the ground.

'_What the…'_ He wanted to say, but, he had no ability to speak just yet. His seventh tail allowed for much faster regeneration, but building new body parts was far different than just healing what was already there.

Amaterasu didn't wait for him to regenerate, though. She had always been known as a cold and calculating goddess; she was ruthless. She did not allow her enemies to survive, or give them chances to recover enough to survive, so he was not surprised when he saw the dark green blade on her back suddenly swivel forward as she reared up on her hind legs before charging toward him, the tip of the blade aiming for his heart.

He gave a rattling breath, and his posture relaxed. The charred flesh of his body cracked further, and bright red blood welled up and seeped down his chest.

They left his body there for a moment, recognizing the passing of their kin. Then Amaterasu growled softly and sent a flare of her fire energy lancing into Suoh's body and consume his remains.

The pups stood there, crouched at Inari's feet. The great fox turned his head and looked down at his kith and kin, a soft smile on his face, "You brave boys, to turn and face him like that took great courage and I commend you. Finlar, you are only partially fox but I will still call you mine. Your great-grandmother was one of my sweetest daughters."

Finlar lifted his head, and gazed at the Kitsune Kami in open awe, "You're my….my…great-great-grandfather?"

The fox nodded once, "Indeed, I am. I am proud to call you mine."

"But, I thought your children weren't supposed to mate… They were not allowed to take mates….It says so."

"Well, things happen. In this case, I'm glad they did. You are a boon to me." Inari chuckled, licking Finlar's hair back.

"Sir…?"

Inari turned his head back to Hikaru, "Yes, child?"

"Why didn't you come to me that time? I spent longer out there than any other boy I know… I waited so long…"

"Because you did not need me then."

"But I did! I wanted so badly to—"

"You _wanted_, not _needed._ You did not need me then, you needed me here, and right now. So I came. I heard your prayer, and I had already been answering. Your Kagome was a wonder, you were all wonderful, you led that wily fox on a merry chase. All I had to do was keep him off you as long as possible; erasing scents, cleaning up your trail, improving those fancy little false trails that girl made. You were all so wonderful. You did well."

The Fox God began to walk away, his tail swishing lightly as he went back the way he came. Amaterasu sat on her haunches watching them, her golden eyes peaceful and serene even as the object of her ire smoldered on the ground.

Hikaru looked crestfallen, but hopeful. "Will I see you again?"

"When you need me, I'll be there." His voice carried easily across the distance.

"Promise?"

Inari paused and turned his head back towards Hikaru, his amethyst eyes piercing in the gloom. "I am your grandfather. I will always be there to protect you. And when your time comes, I'll take you away myself, little Shippo."

Hikaru looked as if he wanted to say something to the fox's retreating back, but thought better about correcting a God.

"That's my pet name….only momma calls me that….only her and…Kagome!" His eyes bulged as he lurched forward, but was swatted back by Amaterasu's tail and landed on his rump on the ground.

He tilted his head, "Huh? Great Mother?"

"I need to speak to you, pup."

"Oh, yes ma'am!"

He stood up and bowed to her, "Let me hear your words then, O Mother of us all."

The great big wolf smiled down at him upon hearing the ancient litany. She was enormous as far as wolves went, larger than any wolf in all of Nippon. She was the size of Rukaze, easily. Yet Hikaru wondered why the great Goddess wasn't bigger than a mountain, for all of the power she held.

She bent her head close to him and beckoned Finlar to come close to her as well, "Listen well, my sons. Kagome is a very special girl, right now she cannot be with you. I have tasks for her to complete, and the quest she must finish herself. There will come a time when you will all know her to be dead."

Hikaru and Finlar gasped, and fear misted their eyes.

The great wolf closed her eyes as if in great pain, when she opened them again they glimmered with emotion. "But do not give up on her. Do not lose hope. As long as you hope for her, and have great faith, Kagome will come back. But for now, her task as your escort is finished."

Amaterasu lifted her head and stared down the tunnel for some time before nodding her head thoughtfully, "At the other end of this tunnel, you will find your father waiting for you, Shippo."

A crack like thunder resounded in the air, and a bright flash lit up the room like a great fire. Hikaru and Finlar threw up their arms to cover their eyes from the painfully bright light. When the light faded, Amaterasu was gone.

Hikaru looked at Finlar, his eyes wide. "Did that really happen, Finlar?"

Finlar also turned towards him, his eyes very round. "Yeah, I think it did."

Hikaru leaped up in the air in a victory dance, "Whoo-hoo! We met the two gods of our people, Finlar! That was awesome!" He landed on the ground in a crouch.

Hikaru stood up straight and clenched his fist before his eyes and opened it up slowly, "Did you see the way Amaterasu killed Suoh? She moved like quicksilver… I… I can't believe he's finally dead." He whispered, tears suddenly welled up in his eyes, "I don't even know why I'm crying, he was a scary man. He hated me, but…but I couldn't help but be sad!"

Finlar looked back down the way they had come, as he slid his sword back in its sheathe. He had been going to try and defend Shippo from the fox, when the big white one had intercepted Suoh's first strike. Inari…. His great-great-grandfather. It seemed the gods had various hands in all their lives.

"Kagome was back there, Hikaru. I wish we could go to her, to see how she's doing."

Hikaru looked over at him, his eyes alight with curiosity. "Why not?"

Finlar reached his hand out and brushed against the barrier gingerly with the back of his hand. The shield flared up, and rippled, but did not let him pass through. "She blocked us. We have to continue."

Hikaru's gaze snapped toward the barrier, and pressed his own hand against it. "Oh…this is total bullshi—"

Finlar grasped him by the shoulders and shook him firmly to get his attention.

"Hikaru, this is no time for swearing! The Goddess Amaterasu told us to walk, and one does not disobey such a lady lightly."

Hikaru sighed, and grumbled under his breath. Taver stepped up to him, and nickered softly, so he caught her reins and climbed into the saddle. His bangs shadowing his closed lids. Finlar climbed onto Sasayaki and led the way, Fox-Fire lanterns lit up at their approach through the deepening darkness of the tunnel.

In all of his years of absence, he had never been down this tunnel. It was made after he disappeared. After the attempt on his life, and that of his mother. He flinched, shying away from that memory.

The tunnel floor was smooth, having been cut and sanded down from solid stone, with panels of stone set into the parts where the soil leaked through the rock layer of the mountain. It was genius work, it was easily wide enough and large enough for four men to ride abreast together, and full grown Fox-Youkai could easily race along the way. Fox-Fire lanterns were set up to light the way for members of the Fox Youkai tribe, and so the way was lit for Hikaru and Finlar.

Such a trick was meant to slow down invasive forces, and why it was usually absolutely necessary to have a Kitsune escort when travelling to Deforya.

At the time, he had not realized Suoh would actually try to attack him when he had been sitting just next to his own mother. They had been traveling on their way to the Western Palace of Lysia, to visit Sesshoumaru and Tobiume for the summer.

It was the one time of the year that Sesshoumaru's mother would descend from her palace in the sky to visit with her sister. It should have been impossible for any attackers to get close, they had three well-trained squads guarding them, surrounding their palanquin and shading them from view. In such quiet and peaceful times, one did not need to travel with an entire Company to ensure safety; even the humans were minding their own affairs.

Over the decades spent as a fugitive, Hikaru had pieced together the incident from his fractured and shattered memory. Someone had bribed the guards; it was an ambush, set during a wild and tropical monsoon. It was the perfect crime. The guards were rushing about, setting up camp, and trying to add extra-heavy drapes to shield Hikaru and Yraella from the heavy rain-fall and hail. Hikaru had been huddling with Mother for warmth, and though he would never admit it, he was scared of the cracking thunder and wildly-forking lightening.

A Youkai Hikaru thought looked familiar at the time entered the palanquin, with a report that the scouts had found a broad cave for shelter, and he had been tasked with transporting Hikaru and his mother inside. It had felt wrong at the time, Hikaru didn't want to leave his mother. Yraella was distracted though and eager to get out of the thunder and lightning.

She lifted him up, and set him in the guard's outstretched hands. Those hands caught him and held him in a firm and vice-like grip. The guard brought him to his chest and held him tightly in one hand as he took Mother's hand in the other and helped her out of the palanquin. Rain sheeted down like sleet, and Hikaru was pelted with hail.

Hikaru thought the guard would hand him back over after Mother climbed from the palanquin, but he kept him tightly against his chest, not allowing him to move or even wiggle.

At first, Hikaru had thought it was as the guard had said, the guards were rushing about trying to get things under wraps. But with horror, he realized it was not so. The guards were attacking and being attacked. His mother realized it as well, it appeared. Her gaze was tense, and she lifted her shawl to cover her bright silver hair. But still, neither of them had suspected the guard was leading them to certain doom. No one accosted them as they moved, that should have set off alarms.

They reached a high cliff, and now Hikaru feared falling. He clung tightly to the guard as he walked along the edge further away from the fight.

After peering down through the rain, and watching the rock face the guard stopped and turned to Yraella with a questioning gaze. "Can you fly, my lady? The cave entrance is down there, it would be quite safe to hide in until the danger has passed."

Yraella peered down as well, then drew back. "No, I had never been able to master that particular skill."

The guard grinned, baring his teeth in a wild snarl. "Good."

With a flick of his wrist, he cast Hikaru away, out into the open air with nothing to protect him. As he twisted in the air, he saw Mother's expression turn to shock and horror, and then absolute fury as she attacked the guard. Then she was turning, and her body was glowing as she shifted rapidly into her true form and jumped after him. Her eyes red with pure rage.

That had been the last time he saw her, and for a long time after he woke up he could remember nothing of the night. Though nightmares of memories he could not consciously remember caused his rest to be constantly interrupted.

The pair walked their horses in silence, the only sound was the resounding clipping and clopping of their horses' feet. When both began to feel the hunger pangs of missed breakfast, they stopped and ate, feeding the horses from the nosebags before continuing. Hikaru wanted so badly to turn back to find Kagome, to see if she was alright, but he knew it was fruitless.

They seemed to walk in silence for hours, the horses plodded along quietly, their ears flicked about lazily. Hikaru starred down at Taver's mane, lost in thought. Finlar was still in the lead, but that was fine with him.

Suddenly, he heard a curious noise. Looking up, he saw several full grown foxes, and several young foxes racing towards them. The horses tensed up, and hesitated at their approach, trying to decide if they should be frightened. The last fox they had seen was a very unfriendly Youkai.

Abruptly, Hikaru felt two very familiar and powerful spiritual pressures, his eyes widened and he swallowed thickly past a heavy lump in his throat. This was it, they were coming. Several Fox-fire lanterns careened around a bend in the tunnel, and a large gray fox raced just behind them. Hikaru's breath caught at the sight of his father, his mouth dropping open longing. Before he was conscious of his actions, he was sliding down from Taver's back and running forward, his arms out wide.

"Dad!"

A large wolf-like Inu-Youkai was galloping just behind the fox, her bright silver coat was looking slightly darker than it used to, as if it were coated with grime. Both parent's eyes were full of desperate excitement, sorrow, love, and a myriad of other things.

"Momma!"

His parents shifted fluidly as they ran, and caught Hikaru up in their arms, tucking their noses against his neck, and rubbing their heads vigorously against their long-lost pup.

"Shippo, my Shippo…mother is sorry. I'm so sorry, my Shippo." His mother was murmuring in his ear, Hikaru couldn't hold back anymore, he clung to them tightly and cried. His tears coming thick with anxiety and fear, of abandonment and the terror he had faced for so long.

"Momma…papa… I missed you!" He sobbed, "I missed you so much!"

Finlar averted his gaze from the family reunion, it seemed so personal. He could not bear to look. His stolen glances told him that the Eastern Lord and Lady had not fared well in Hikaru's absence. Yraella was much more frail-looking, thinner, her cheeks were drawn in, and her eyes had a haunted look about them. It was obvious that she had held herself responsible for Hikaru's loss. Lord Yaruko Temoiya was thin as a rod, with square shoulders, and sunken eyes. He was very tall, but there seemed not an ounce of fat on him. His hair was dark-grey, with deep purple eyes, just like Hikaru.

Hikaru was their light, it was why his name was Hikaru; the pup seemed to have given them so much joy, and his loss had been a devastating blow to them. Finlar had seen the Lord and Lady long ago, when he was working under his father as a scribe, learning the faces and scents of the Cardinal Lords.

They had certainly not fared well in the child's absence; they had not come to the Council meetings since the heir went missing, they appeared to not have gotten very good rest at all. Compared to how portly and robust Suoh had been, it was so obvious that Suoh had not been bothered at all.

Foxes clamored around the Lord and Lady's feet as they beheld their son. Finlar remained silent, picking at Sasayaki's mane, it was such a wonder thing, Hikaru had been returned to his parents, but at what cost? He stole a glance under his arm back the way they had come.

Kagome had been taken from them, probably dead. No wait, that wasn't true. Amaterasu had said that if they just keep faith, she would return. They had to believe she would return. But where could she be, if she could not go with them? Finlar knew that Suoh had been brutally dangerous, he could smell Kagome's blood on the fox when he had cornered them, the fox had been covered in it. It was too much blood.

He shuddered at the memory, his eyes closed. No, she was probably dead. Amaterasu might only return her if she was truly needed. He liked Kagome, she had been nice to him. She trusted him, and believed in him. She was a good person, and was such a natural mother. She'd have been a great mom.

He would keep faith, anyways.

Maybe she would return.


End file.
